Designer Profile: Ann Sofie Back AW 09

I was firsted introduced to this collection a couple years back when I was surfing the web. Of course she is alumni of Central Saint Martin via MA program 1998. Her style is exactly what fashion is about, using medocrity as a influence to innovate and achieve new style and design. The newly appoint head designer to Cheap Monday uses perfect beauty as a starting point only to manipulate it into something from another world. Her rise to fame in the industry is impressive with styling Purple and Self Service magazine to styling the SS 2001 campaign for Miu Miu. The designer has also showed in Paris for 4 seasons, to only retreat back to her homestead to show at London Fashion Week. Her Fall 09 collection is a journey into something of an homage to US horror films like Carrie, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween and Michael Jackson's Thiller. Dresses adorned with dreamcatchers, slashed and distress denim make the collection a standout.... edgy, innovative, and subversive....Anna Sofie Back

Manipulating Fashion


One thing I learned at Parson's... you must play around with the fabric you have. This s a great way to achieve something you never knew was possible in creating a garment or look. I think playing with the fabric will give you a great sense of what the material can bring to the table as far as innovation and separating yourself from what another person would probably do with the same fabric. I found some great images of exactly what I'm talking about. Something I'm working with personally is burning synthetic materials to give it this kind of scorched look. I think that it's a great way to put a edge on a rather boring piece of material.

“Hat’s R Him”






I think hats are like the topping to any outfit, so It's only right that I blog a milliner that knows what the power of a hat can do. Based in London, Justin Smith and his brand J Smith Esquire takes the luxury of hats to another level with his fantastical taste. His career started as a hair dresser, he was the creative director at Toni & Guy in London specializing in avant garde hair shows before he decided to take a course in millinery. Justin only uses natural fabrics like leather, cotton, and feathers. His design philosophy is rather organic. He let’s his fabrication work for him, he doesn’t force materials into positions that don’t naturally work for that specific piece. An organic process is letting it do it’s thing. He uses his English heritage and love for antique furniture to inspire him. All of his hats have couture trimming in which can not be replicated. He believes having a good sense of quality it something that never ages. Tap the title for his home page.

Normality @ It’s Best


Recently I ran upon some art work that I thought was insanely perverse and yet shocking bright. It was art work by New York based designer Ryan Schneider. His work is based on the everyday yet he portrays smoking. drinking, showering, and just hanging out. The perspective of his work is a view into his alternate reality that is influenced by the likes of Diane Arbus to Francis Bacon, David Hockney and Matisse. Ryan worked has been featured all over the place including Anthem Magazine and also at the Chelsea Galleries. Tap the title and find out more about his work, down below is a few examples of his Ideal world.



Steam Punk Styling - WGSN Street Style - Featuring Me!!!





Normally I wouldn't post any thing from my internships site on this blog but I seen this and almost shit my pants hahah.
On my third day at WGSN one of my bosses that were their Villi (Who has an amazing style sense) loved a couple pieces of my favorite accessories. One being a chain I made from a bicycle chain bracelet I got from Hot Topic, links, and rings I have collected over the years from my mom and other random places. She also got my favorite most comfortable boots ever, from Steve Madden. It was a bit of a shock to see my pictures in one of their street style reports. I had to blog it though hahaha. Thank Villi!!!!

Central Saint Martins - Fall 2010

As of Wednesday May 27th @ 11:41 P.M. I have decided I going to apply to Central Saint Martins to major in the Fashion History and Theory major that they offer. Since I'm not at all interested in learning design and I will have had all the marketing I can take, I think this will be the best for me. I've always loved the history of fashion, but this particular program drives into much more. Fashion History and Theory is a pathway of BA Fashion at central saint Martins that considers fashion as an academic subject of scrutiny, as much about writing and representation as it is about making. From renaissance dress to contemporary fashion forecasting, the course covers a broad trajectory and is often found in the many London museums and exhibition spaces that address the concerns of the course. It intends to create a new breed of fashion thinkers. To me it's ideal, I believe myself to be apart of the new breed of fashion thinkers. To attend Central Saint Martins would be such a amazing opportunity, I think its the way to go!!!

One great, I think, is an amazing fashion connoisseur is Alexander Fury. He graduated from Central Saint Martin in the Fashion History and Theory course and is now the fashion director of show studio. He speaks with such skill and articulation and knowledge about fashion on a level I want to speak on as well. I first blogged his worked earlier in the week dicussing Mario Schwab, below is more of his commentary He is my new found source of inspiration when it comes to my career. Take a listen to what he has to say about different pieces from various collections



OMG - Get Into SHOWstudio

If you don't know about show studio your way behind...In depth profiles of designers, fashion shoots with models, political outlooks, and intense commentary on contemporary fashion this will inspire you to become the next Giles Deacon. I love this website because it brings fashion from a intelligent point of view rather than just talking about shapes and styles. Show-Studio goes deep an relates fashion to what is going on around us. Knowing fashion from a different point of view other than the normal is crucial in becoming a leading designer with a prominent stance in a industry knockoffs are rapid. Take a look down below are some snippets of what the site has to offer.



Designer Profile: Evan Biddell


I'm obessed with Canadian designers right about now point. I think they have an amazing point of veiw for fashion and I can't believe they don't get as much press as they should. I was looking through the Toronto Fashion Week website and came upon designer Evan Biddell, an 24 yr old talent with a hype edge. He is a bit LA Fashion week, but nonetheless he has a great style that is rock, punk and urban cool. His swimsuits are amazing with the cut out detailing and platinum hardware. He had a stint on Project Runway Canada and is now trying to break free from the reality image. He may not be pushing fashion forward but his designs are cool and of the moment.
check out his Spring 2009 Collection below

The Great Michelle Obama


Michelle Obama has made great strides in her style...at first she was very inconsistent with the way she dressed. Now it seems like she hits the nail on the head every time. NYMAG reported that her press people got a Martin Margelia Tux recently..were still waiting on that picture, but I'm sure she will look amazing in it or maybe not haha...ahh the beauty of fashion. I'm glad she takes risk rather than wearing the same shapes and styles over and over. Every time she comes out,its a different look and that's how a First Lady should dress in my opinion.

New York Aesthetic Flaw: Mario Schwab @ Halston

 


In London designer are normally very conceptual and always outside the box, which gets them all the top jobs in Milan & Paris. In New York You basically have your line and that's it, your not being scouted out for other labels, or you creating lines for the masses. The recent Installment of Mario Schwab at Halston is a key indication that conceptual design is the key to getting buzz and getting jobs overseas and beyond. Taking inspiration and really honing in on it to create something new and innovative is what is needed in New York. Although I was only in the AAS program at Parson's, I can tell that conceptual design isn't really pushed as much as it is for someone who attends Central Saint Martins, or The Royal Academy of London. It really should have been a New York designer taking over at Halston, I'm not sure if anyone was interested in doing so, but it seem like Narsico Rodriguez would have been an excellent choice for the Halston name. Nonetheless, Mario Schwab is an excellent designer and an amazing artist. It will be interesting to see his take on Halston because he normally designs from a structural point of view and Halston aesthetic is really free flowing and easy. Down below is Alexander Fury talking about Mario's Fall 2009 jeweled dressed...Might I say he is an amazing voice for the future of fashion. He is very articulate and always on point with his analysis. Take a look.


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Rachel Roy - Pre Fall 2009

 

I know the Fall 09 shows have already happened and pre-fall is like aleady out of fashion but designer Rachel Roy did an outstanding job putting together her pre-fall 2009 collection. The color, texture, shape, and mood is so what the summer coming to a end should be about. I love the asymmetrical stripes seam dress as well as the Lauren Hutton style suit that looks appropriate for now. The collection looks uber-comfortable and can be justaposed bewtween days, nights, work, and where ever else that you may want to wear these amazing pieces. I'm sure they probaly cost a pretty pennie but, even taking the idea she has set forward and incoporating it into your look is a good way to evoke the mood. Even more important is that she used an Asian model to bring her collection to life, In which she does an amazing job she looks like she really loved modeling the collection and probaly got half of it in her closet now.
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My First Art Piece

This year I had to take a color theory class which covered the basics of color and a lot of art history. It was pretty boring at first but I guess along the way i started to pick up inspiration from other classmates and the projects we had to complete. The picture below is my final for the class. We had to create some sort of project that fully executed the objectives of the class. So i want to create a piece of art work that was organic as far as the way it was created, but I also wanted to show that I'm very inspired by things that are abnormal and take a little more thought when looked at. This project consisted of me melting candle wax but also mixing it with the pigment paints we were required to buh, holding the board I used at different angles to create this sort of natural running effect. After I finished with the overall look, I went over the painting with a grill lighter, at this point the paint and the wax is running all together and sizzling. This gave it a more authentic look. At first my professor didn't know about how the project would turn out..He ended up loving it and I got a A- in the class as a overall grade. I love the colors and the composition of how the wax creates this gloomy effect that speaks to this modern goth style I'm into. Click on it to get a closer look.

Sebastian's Voodo

This morning I was following some of the video's from the Cannes's film festival and ran upon this Canadian film short called Sebastian's Voodo by Paraguayan animator JoaquĆ­n Baldwin. It's a very good edit about sacrifice and trailblazing for what you feel is necessary for the better of the people around you. More importantly it's about having heart. I also thought the dramatization of the dolls make were very similar to Viktor and Rolf's Fall 2008 Make-up & staple detail direction & their Fall 2009 make-up detailing. This just shows how relatable fashion is to the many genres of media around today. This video is a great find and I hope to see more of his work in the future.






Deformity As Identity

Sometime this Spring I went to a exhibit in Brooklyn featuring deformity...I know I'm a lil weird sometimes ha ha. It was an event thrown by Every-Nothing.com. This video was on the website, it is truly something to see. This very normal frenchman changes by the second, it's like something out of the SAW movie I believe. Nonetheless, a very weird but innovative way to change an image in a matter of seconds. BRACE YOURSELF It can get a little weird.

Arlenis Sosa - One Of My New Favorite

One of My favorite new faces - Arlenis Sosa. Amazing smile, walk, attitude, and gesturism. What a model is all about.






Viktor & Rolf Spring 2009 Presentation

Why wasn't this video a big deal!!!!! Shalom Harlow did an absolutely amazing job modeling Viktor & Rolf's entire Spring 2009 collection thanks to some simple yet creative video editing of course. This is a groundbreaking way to present a collection, most designers are coming up with innovative ideas towards presenting video collections like YSL's menswear presentation and Gareth Pugh's Fall 2009 very creative presentation or even Halston's Fall 2009 New York style rendition. For me V&R takes the cake.. not to say the others aren't great in their own way but, a simple runway, one model, and a great choice of music CHEERS Viktor and Rolf!!!

Viktor & Rolf Spring/Summer 2009


Halston Fall/Winter 2009


Gareth Pugh Fall/Winter 2009


Yves Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2009

Street Style - Lower East Side

Again, while in the heat....I spotted this young woman and had to get a shot of her. I love the way she took her sexy horizontal pleated mini dress and toned it down with a floral jacket with ruffle, but kept it fun and comfortable with her beautiful chandelier earrings and woven sandals. Fashion Yes or No?...again I say yes but I don't think I would post a no anyway hahaha...



New Modernism

Theirs this amazing artist/former graffiti artist that is doing some amazing things out of L.A. He is fusing his experience in graffiti work with more modern ways of developing modern art. In the video below his states his loves for estate sales and issues with thrifting as well as the way he comes up with the idea he puts in his sketchbook. Closer to the end of the video his gives us a glance at his sketchbook. His work truly speaks to what art is about now, the shape, collage work and even the medium used. Although he is relatively unknown now, I can see his work being revisited for years to come. He has truly inspired me to start creating on a more artistic level.



Some of his work




Parson BFA Fine Arts Thesis Exhibit

It's only natural to post my schools most invigorating, innovating, and interesting work. As I was returning my last library book of the year, in the lobby of the 2 W. 13th Building I noticed that there has been a lot going on. Eureka!!! Inspiration, the BFA fine arts department is showing in the lobby which I thought is an amazing idea. Here are a few images from the exhibit....If your ever around the area stop by and check it out.

Shelia Johnson Build @ 2. W 13th and 5th Ave





Street Style Soho

Man...so I was all out in the heat. I found a few amazing dressed/styled individuals. This guy wowed the hell out of me...If only I could pull something off like that. The seersucker harem pants for one are amazing I love the detail and the shape. The corsage not so much my style but it works for him as for the sandals. The YSL tee gives it a high fashion edge, with such a out there look its definitely brings the outfit together I think. I would rock chambray jean button down, the rolled sleeve gives it a effortless feel but I also love the ruggedness of it. What do you think? Fashion Yes or No? I Say Yes!



Day 1 & 2 - The Introduction

So....during this week I established myself as a trendsetter...I got my own desk, a free WGSN full membership, company email and a edge on any and everything in fashion via our London home base (My Dream City). During the first day I did alot of research on new trend worthy graphic designers and artists. I found two I will tell about later. Day 2 was my first day on the streets of NY with WGSN business cards in my pocket. Me and my super Ann walked the streets and visited a pop up shop via Billy Reid in Soho which might I say is amazing take a look below.

NYC: Billy Reid One Trip Pass Pop-up Shop. through Sunday, May 24 54 Bond Street, (between Bowery and Lafayette Street)



The WGSN Internship


At the beginning of this week I started the most coveted internships in the history of internships (In My Eyes) @ the trend forecasting company WGSN (Worth Global Style Network) The basis of the internship is research for trends for over 36,000 retailers, fashion houses, and other fashion and design related companies. I'm said to be going to concerts, art exhibits, press reviews, fashion shows, vintage archive shops, and many other events throughout New York. So with that being said I want to base this blog on the internship and any other content I believe would be worth writing about....who knew I would venture into journalism...atleast I'm keeping myself busy while not in school. Get ready for very INSPIRING summer...thanks to me!!!

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