Thursday, January 14, 2010

Riot Gear: Post 004








The frigid weather allows us to play around with style, as we are also forced to find new ways of keeping warm enough. Take a look through your closet, and see what you can find. You would be surprised to see the new creations you can pull out when all you need is an empty wallet, some ingenuity, and below freezing temperatures! 

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Long cardigan - H&M

Long sleeved slouchy shirt - H&M

Pencil Skirt - F21

Stockings - Betsey Johnson (found at Marshall's)

Draped scarf - Macy's

Moto boots - Aldo

Nail lacquer - OPI Boris and Natasha 

All photos by Brittanny Taylor.


Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Vivienne Westwood Creates Spectacular Gowns From New Wallpaper Collection


Now your walls can look as fashion-forward as you do. Legendary British fashion designer—and born-again environmentalist—Dame Vivienne Westwood has paired up with Cole & Son to launch a collection of wallpaper based on some of her most celebrated designs, including the iconic Squiggle print from her Autumn/Winter 1981/82 collection and the more recent Cut-Out Lace from the Spring/Summer 2007 collection.


To toast the collaboration, Westwood and the historic wallpaper manufacturer fashioned an array of dresses from decorative swatches, cleverly bringing the designs full circle from three dimensions to two dimensions and back again.

 

“It is good when my ideas get carried over into other artistic media,” Westwood says. “This collection is a perfect opportunity to be able to work with a heritage company like Cole & Son and to see my ideas from fashion translated into the world of interiors and wallpaper.”

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Geeky Finger Accessories - The Power Button Ring Shows Your Devotion to Your Computer

Ah, yes. The power button, it is the staple of most electronic goods, and the only way to ensure that electricity to access your gadgets. But what if you were to isolate the power button itself, and say turn it into a power button ring?

I smell success! Perhaps not for everyone, but this would be the most badass superhero ring around. Like the Captain Planet rings, but not at all like the Captain Planet rings. Designed by Italian Vicolo Paglia Corta, this ring will make any outfit go from chic to geek.


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References: bookofjoe,  vicolopagliacorta.it

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Designer Spotlight - Steampunk Couture


On these cold and dark beginnings of December, I find myself falling deeper and deeper into the abyss of the interwebs, more specifically the world of clothing and such. Amidst my despair of drowning in poverty, I continue to torture myself scourging alternative sites in search of new and unique items. Tonight I am focused on steampunk.  
 

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Steampunk is a sub-genre of fantasy and speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England—but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or digital mechanical computers (such as Charles Babbage's Analytical engine); these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality.


Steampunk is often associated with cyberpunk and shares a similar fanbase and theme of rebellion, but developed as a separate movement (though both have considerable influence on each other). Apart from time period and level of technological development, the main difference between cyberpunk and steampunk is that steampunk settings usually tend to be less obviously dystopian than cyberpunk, or lack dystopian elements entirely.

Various modern utilitarian objects have been modded by individual artisans into a pseudo-Victorian mechanical "steampunk" style, and a number of visual and musical artists have been described as steampunk.

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Enter Steampunk Couture, owned and run by model-turned-designer, Kato. Her eclectic mix of casual and formal wear, and impeccable attention to detail has made her truly someone to keep an eye on:

"I heard the term "Steampunk" in April 2005 and quickly realised that my fashion design represented many elements of the style. I have an obsessive love for Victorian architecture and have been lucky enough to have moved from one Victorian house to another while living in the UK. I make up for the lack of 1800s here in Los Angeles by packing my apartment to bursting with antique and Victorian furniture. It helps me feel at home. Unfortunately my busy schedule keeps me from being as actively involved in the steampunk community as I would like to be."  

I am completely in love with Steampunk Couture, and I was overjoyed when I saw on their MySpace blog that they were now offering to loan clothing out to established models free of charge. I promptly sent an email and now I just wait patiently for Kato to hopefully respond.


To be perfectly honest, I only became familiar with the style of steampunk a few years ago. Originally, I was confused and actually a bit turned off by it. I normally don't find anything brown appealing... nor gold. However after doing some digging, I discovered that when styled properly steampunk creates and almost "industrial wonderland" that I do indeed adore. Often, steampunk outfits will be accented with a mixture of technological and period accessories: timepieces, parasols, goggles and ray guns. Even modern accessories like cell phones or music players can be found in steampunk outfits, after being modified to give them the appearance of Victorian-made objects. Aspects of steampunk fashion have been anticipated by mainstream high fashion, the Lolita fashion and aristocrat styles, neo-Victorianism, and the romantic goth subculture

So there you have it! A condensed-soup breakdown of a curious subculture and its equally curious advocates. In today's world where alternative subculture seems to no longer exist, its refreshing and hopeful to see artists fight to keep it alive.

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References:

Wikipedia

Steampunk Couture on MySpace






Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Oversized Cage Sleeves -'Trash Couture' in Vogue Korea Pulls Out the Avant-Garde Fashion Stops




Fans of avant-garde cage fashion will find much to love in ‘Trash Couture’ for the Vogue Korea December 2009 issue. Photographer Rafael Stahelin captures a futuristic fashion wonderland headed up by Karlie Kloss that pulls out all the stops. You’ll see plastic wrap biker shorts, cage-like headwear, decadent dresses, and birdcage bustles worn as outerwear in ‘Trash Couture.’




Check out Karlie Kloss in ‘Trash Couture’ for Vogue Korea above, and keep clicking for more cage-loving fashions.




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References: HauteMacabre


Monday, November 9, 2009

Beauty Breakdown: Gray Nail Polish


I knew eventually the world would see it my way! Gray! Everything gray! I adore this color almost as much as I do black. This season's beauty trend continues to be all about the smoky, gray nail. By far the "it" color of the season, gray is huge for eyes, nails and even lips. Gray has the power to be as striking, but not quite as harsh as its sister of the dark, and all the while provides an almost soft and mystical finish. Now, I wish I could vouch for all of the colors below and say I tried them ALL myself, but alas, I do not have the means to do so... However after cruising this list, I do know I'm going to be making a trip to pick up a bottle of China Glaze in Recycle. I can tell right now I'm going to be a huge fan of it.    






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All photos provided by "All Lacquered Up" - A Polish Fanatic's Resource

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Riot Gear: Post 003


Nothing like spending three days reeking emotional havoc on helpless victims in Cayo Industrial, wearing a child's dress, a ratty wig, toting an artificial severed head, and drenched in faux blood to make me yearn for my adult wardrobe. However as November came crashing down, and the Halloween decorations were already hurriedly replaced with the disgustingly cheery Christmas ones, I found myself  pleasantly at peace with Autumn. Usually, as November sets in, I find myself in a true funk, partially from post-haunt depression, and partially from simply the change of seasons. However, yesterday's weather brought an odd warmth with it, the colors were vibrant, the air was crisp but not too cold, which could only mean I had better take full advantage of the situation and bust out a light coat. After all, it is New England... and the icy hand of Winter is going to bitch-slap us in the face sooner than we're ready for.


Now, I'm  not entirely sure were my inspiration came from for this outfit. Perhaps I had encountered Joan Jett in my dreams the night before and I awoke with that growling "rocker chick" vibe, or maybe I just had an urge to wear pants. I love cute coats and jackets, and have a rather extensive selection in my wardrobe to date, and this is one that I've owned for a few years, but sadly must admit, I hardly wear. However, I fail to comprehend why since its actually quite comfortable and fairly stylish. I'm wondering if its because its a little on the "shiny" side for me, I tend to gravitate towards leather and faux leather if they have a matte finish to them. Regardless, I was compelled to put it on, and I think it was a wonderful piece to add. Now, I do have to note that the coat is a bit on the thin side, so I chose to wear a ballet shrug underneath it to add an additional layer for warmth. I understand that the shrug isn't  pictured very well, but its pretty strait forward: its black and only goes across the top of the back and shoulders, and it has long sleeves with existing thumb holes. I love long shirts with thumb holes, its a thing of mine. What I also loved about incorporating the shrug was I added a layer of warmth without having to add a bulky sweater underneath the sleek jacket. Which came into play nicely considering the striped shirt was also thin.




Skinny jeans. Some days I curse them, and believe I need Crisco in order to squeeze myself into them. On other days though, they can be very sexy in a subtle and sophisticated way. Like everything else, I am extremely picky about how I wear them: always tucked into boots. Slightly slouchy, mid-calf heeled boots always look good with slim fitted pants in my opinion. 

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Coat: New York & Company
Striped Shirt: Marshalls
Shrug (not pictured fully): Dancer's Warehouse
Scarf: H & M
Trousers: Roxy
Boots: Nina

All photos taken by Brittanny Taylor