Fashion East, Spring 2011

Ok I won't reference shipwrecks when describing this dress, since I used that reference a lot last week, but one thing is for sure I got a thing for unfinished ends and layering.  This dress has a simple silhouette on top and just adds an element of awesomeness down below.  In case you were wondering "awesomeness" was used when reviewing this collection for style.com.  Ok maybe not, but if you didn't go to journalism school thats how you would describe this dress.  Its the "I am over this depression and living in the dust bowl and I want a new dress" look.  A look that only a true fashionista would love to wear and if one was actually stuck wearing it, one would probably dream of a cleaner more elegant number.  Its a dress, but its also tough...a tomboy's dream dress.  What more can I say?

Bottega Veneta, Spring 2011

"...these were dresses, not gowns—were more constructed, but the way the silk was lightly tacked at the seams meant that these, too, floated on the body. The one low point: a couple of numbers in a trapezoidal print weighed down by a surfeit of excess fabric". style.com, Nicole Phelps

Well, according to Style.com the outfit I choose was a low point of the show, but if it makes Bottega Veneta (or whoever designed the dress) feel better I enjoyed the trapezoidal prints.  I guess it goes to show that at some point who cares what the critic has to say, if your drawn to it wear it...or at least draw it and dream of wearing it.

Matthew Williamson, Spring 2011

Earlier in the week I wrote about a Ackermann dress, which I described as perfect for a shipwreck.  When I was brainstorming what to say about this dress  I was surprised to see that Williamson was going for a marooned on a deserted island feel. 

                   "My storyboard is a girl marooned on a deserted island," he said. "She has 

                    her Western wardrobe, and over time she becomes one with nature, picking 

                    up organic textures and materials." style.com, Meenal Mistry

Could this dress and the Ackermann dress live on the same island and belong to the same girl?  This doesn't have the same rugged feel, more a walk on the beach kind of feel.  Based on survival and if wearing a dress could determine such things...I think I would stick with the Ackermann dress.  This one is more for the girl who thinks she is deserted and then realizes she is a on a private island with a 5 star hotel, which doesn't make me love this dress any less...I just don't think it would help me survive.  In its favor, it's pattern and use of color is amazing, and when I was getting really depressed being alone on an island, this pattern would give me more visual pleasure.  

What do you think Ackermann or Williamson for ultimate island survival?  

Dennis Basso, Spring 2011

I am having writers block and don't know what to say about this one.  I could talk about the layers and little sheer tank under the dress, but as far as what it makes me think of I'm stuck.  I know that sounds lame, but if it makes you feel better I am putting the finishing touches on my soon to be launched website and I only have so much brain power after work.  Excuses, excuses....forgive me.

Haider Ackermann, Spring 2011

Help!!! I am shipwrecked and all I have is this fabulous dress.  Does this dress also give you a shipwreck vibe?  If it does, lets discuss the best shipwreck movie of all times...Swiss Family Robinson. Oh how I wanted to live in a massive treehouse after I saw it.  One could imagine what this dress looked like before the shipwreck, but I prefer it in its rugged-drappy state.  Its got that "yeah this might be made out of silk, but don't mess with me" vibe.  Thats a tough vibe to pull off, but just the vibe you would need if you were shipwrecked and pirates were coming to attack!

Style Memory: Land of Make Believe, 6yrs old

About the time when I decided to start drawing street style I got the idea to also begin a series on style-memory, outfits that are engrained in my memory.  This is one of my earlier style memories.  I wore this outfit on a school trip to Land of Make Believe.  I can remember fighting my mom all morning to allow me to wear these shorts.  I was a budding tot with individual style, I kept harping and whining, until I guess my mom decided it wasn't worth the struggle.  She suggested the white shirt, to balance out the shorts and to make it a little less embarrassing for her, since she was a chaperone.  I think somewhere in the attic these shorts still exist, I hope so...I kind of want to find them and put them on the wall as art.  Mom if your reading this can you find them, pleaseeeeeeeeeeee.

Style Icon, Shail Upadhya

Saturday night I saw "Bill Cunningham New York".  If you are not familiar with that name, he documents street style and has a column in the New York Times, which you can see here. He's really amazing, not only for being 80ish years old and riding a bike on the mean streets of NYC, but because of his love/obsession with documenting street style.  This movie made me want to make a mad dash to to NYC to live and do some style searching and documenting.

Shail Upadhya was featured in the documentary showing off his amazing eccentric suits.  You can also see a short clip of Mr. Upadhya talking about his style at stylelikeu.

"Though he has always loved dressing up, his parents wanted him to have a “respectable” job, so he became a diplomat at the UN rather than following a creative pursuit...He has always been driven to put his own personality into his wardrobe...Shail is taking his self-expression to new heights by designing his own collection of clothes that are hand-painted, based on the designs of the grand masters like Miro, Kandinsky, and Picasso". stylelikeu.com 

Street Style, Chicago Spring 2011

I saw this look a while back while walking down Damen in Wicker Park.  I was window shopping as I went and saw this woman standing by the counter, she was summer on top with her hat and sundress and spring on the bottom with her hunter boots.  

Street Style, Chicago Spring 2011

I stalked this Dick Blick worker, so I could study his look, which is hard to do without looking obvious.  Stalk is probably a strong word...I only spent a few minutes doing it, not like I stalked him for days or anything. I was just really mesmerized by his bangs, that covered his eyes and I don't know how he saw anything.  Plus he had on patchwork denim pants...I don't see many of those these days.  

All this talk about stalking makes me think of Sophie Calle.  One of my favorite photographers.  I guess you could sum up her work as looking at identity, documenting, and intimacy.  In her early work she would follow strangers around Paris and photograph them.  She was interested in thinking about and trying to figure out her subjects identities based on the information and choices they made.  

                                          

I think there is a similar dream like thinking that I do when I spot some street style that I feel compelled to drawing.  I find myself looking for clues in their style choices for glimpses of their identity.  If you had to dream up an identity for a 20 something who's eyes are covered by bangs and who likes wearing patchwork denim pants what would it be?????  If anything I think he would be in a band.

Bensoni, Spring 2011

Truth is without the hairdo I probably wouldn't of drawn the look.  Is that wrong?  Sorry Bensoni, I just have a thing for braids and when there are multiples and they are looped up then its even harder to resist.  If I ever have a baby girl she will surely get made fun of at school because it will be hard to resist replicating this look.  Just look at my poor sister-in-law, who had to put up with my need to make funky hair-dos while on vacation.  yikes, to my look, but forgive me I was on vacation.

                          

Ok..Bensoni I just feel bad, so I will say this about your dress.  I love the flowly white sheer layer, it makes me think of Christo and his use of a zillion yards of fabric.

Apparently the Christo camp is running into a few snags for their planned project, which would cover several miles of the Arkansas river in Colorado.  People argue that it will bring too much traffic to the area and be bad for the wildlife, especially the bighorn sheep that live there.  If it gets approved you could go white water rafting down the river while yards of sheer fabric are above you.  That would be so cool!  I think the sheep would like temporary change of scenery. Before I get hate mail...no I would not want the environment to be impacted by art, but my artist eye is feeling greedy and really wants to see this!  below is a sketch

House of Holland, Spring 2011

Based on reading one review, which really isn't enough research to state this, but I don't think the critics were fond of this collection or at least not a 100%.  It was cooky, but thats why it stood out for me.

"Then again, part of Holland's profitable shtick is the way he pushes the boundaries of bad taste to both enjoyable...even when the Holland girl is dressed to be bad, he finds a way to make her feel good". style.com, Meenal Mistry 

The color of this dress reminds me of the lilac bushes that grow back at my parent's place.  The other day I was hit by the sense of being home.  I looked around and noticed there was a lilac bush blooming.  It didn't feel right that I was smelling home all the way in Chicago, I was tempted to take a few clippings, so I could smell home all week.

Miu Miu, Spring 2011

Miu Miu, you're trying to seduce me...aren't you? I love this collection, especially the shoes. Its the perfect outfit for a modern day Mrs. Robinson who is looking to seduce a recent graduate.  It is pure coincidence that this look is posting during the time of year when many graduate.  Good luck fellow grads, its totally jumping of a cliff scary, but you'll survive the landing.  If you don't know the famous scene from the Graduate I attached it below.




This movie has it all, but before I knew of the movie I feel in love with the music written by Simon and Garfunkel.  Simon and Garfunkle was one of the few artists my mom had a tape and cd of.  Their voices and lyrics make my heart melt...one of my all time favorites!  I could write more on how Peter and I use to sit around and listen to Simon and Garfunkel when we first started dating, but this post is about seduction, not falling in love.

Street Style, Chicago Spring 2011

This is another street shot, of a little girl I saw in Wicker Park, who had a great balance of mixed patterns.  I have been thinking that if I was 8 years old making these drawings I would have a lot more followers at this point.  I could be the new Tavi.  Is it to late to lie about my age not by 5, but by 20 years?  Who would ever know. I could hire a kid actor to act like me during interviews.  Hmmmmm...evil plotting.....

Street Style, Chicago Spring 2011

I have never seen someone rock an eye patch like this 4/5 year old girl, who I saw downtown.  Not really an eye patch, more of an eye cover.  She also had glasses.  There is something about little kids wearing glasses that make my heart go pitter patter.  This girl really was a styling tot with her skinny jeans, moccasins, and zebra sweater!

Jonathan Saunders, Spring 2011

Another Saunders look, why not.  I boiled down all the shows to maybe just one look to draw, but as I said earlier in the week Saunders collection really stuck out for me.  On Monday I showed an Erwin Blumenfeld photograph.  Did you know he also made experimental films....they are so of the time, you got to love them:

All that wind and slow-mo effects reminded me of another well known fashion photographer, Nick Knight who directed an amazing Bjork music video:

 

Do you think Saunders knew that his work could be linked to Erwin Blumenfeld and then Bjork?  Its like playing the Kevin Bacon game, I love making connections between various points of reference!

Jonathan Saunders, Spring 2011

Growing up I was a big fan of I Love Lucy and one of my favorite looks that she wore was a pant suit that had a sheer overlay,  so chic for a bandleader's wife.  Saunder's look would probably not get past the censors in Lucy's day, hence the need to wear pants and not just bloomers.  Its no mistake that I get a 50's Lucy vibe from this look, Tim Blanks referenced Claire McCardell (american fashion designer in the 50's) when he wrote about Saunders show for style.com  See that I am on the same page as a well know fashion writer, I just got there from another frame of reference.  

                                          

Jonathan Saunders, Spring 2011

Splash of color in a otherwise plain shirt, yes please!  I don't strive to be a "gorgeous picture-postcard beauty (read quote below to understand reference), but something in the belly of my tomboy existence was drawn to Jonathan Saunder's spring collection.  The only guess I have is the use of color, as we know I am a sucker for color.

"Jonathan Saunders knew what he didn't want for Spring: androgyny and any reference to the seventies. Instead, he was looking at what he called "the gorgeous picture-postcard beauty" of the women in Erwin Blumenfeld's fashion photography of the forties and fifties, and, from the same period, the pure, sporty femininity of Claire McCardell's designs." TIm Blanks, Style.com

Don't know who Erwin Blumenfeld is well look no further....In short he was a photographer who eventually took many fashion photographs for Vogue and such.  Here is one of his images that I thought was reminiscent of the above look. 

image from phaidon.com

Street Style, Chicago Spring 2011

Seen at SAIC's spring art sale.  The tights and oversized scarf sold the look for me.  While I am ready for summer, I will miss the fact that it will be too hot to wear fun tights.  They make biking in a skirt or dress possible.  

Street Style, Chicago Spring 2011

This past weekend was a busy weekend for artsy people in Chicago.  Not only was it SAIC's MFA opening, but it also was Art Chicago, an art fair where you can look and buy art from around the world.  It is insanely overwhelming and can only get more insane by being a mad women and not only trying to soak up the art, but also make sure to document and take note of any unusual style.  I saw this guy a couple of times and finally thought it was divine intervention who wanted me to take notice.  He really confused me because he wore a motorcycle helmet the whole time.  Is it possible that he, like me is growing out his hair and is embarrassed by the in between stage?  Also why did he only have on one red sock?  Strange thing, but some how he fit right in at Art Chicago, there is truly a place for everyone in this world, which reminds me of a classic song from "Pete's Dragon".

Jason Wu, Spring 2011

A few months ago Seaofshoes blog was hosting a contest where you could submit your favorite runway looks and she would select and show her favorites.  I drew a look from the Jason Wu collection, but sadly didn't get chosen.  I like the collection because it has a vintage feel, but isn't overly vintage and stays relevant to today.  I could really use that hat/turban, especially recently with my hair growing out and being in this in-between stage.  I have a feeling my dream  of growing out my hair for a frieda kahlo look won't last long.

Street Style, Chicago SS 2011

This past weekend was the opening for SAIC's MFA show.  Peter went for the art, I went to spot some style.  Whats great about such events, is they are so crowded nobody notices if you take pictures and if they do everyone thinks you are just photographing the art.  Here is one look that caught my eye because of the fur bag.  It almost looked homemade, like the woman had scraps of fur or faux fur and sewed them together to make a oversized bag.  I like how her colorful key chain hung outside of the bag, clashing perfectly with the fur.  

Christian Dior Couture, SS 2011

I couldn't resist drawing another look from Dior's couture collection.  The whole collection had a 50's vibe that sent my heart pitter pattering.  Here is what the experts have to say about Dior's couture show:

"Galliano's salute to René Gruau, the illustrator whose work for Christian Dior in the forties and fifties created the house's most iconic imagery, felt like it had been a long time coming, not just because of the designer's own early aspirations, but because it gave him another opportunity to indulge his passion for an era when couture was truly haute". style.com, Tim Blanks


Below is some 50's fashion footage: