*from the soundtrack of the film PINA by Wim Wenders...
January 24, 2012
January 16, 2012
edible art...mimi's first meme...
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Rothko inspired cookies by Mimi O Chun...
*lemon flavoured...in case you were wondering... |
January 9, 2012
ka-pow...pre-fall 2012
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| 3.1 phillip lim *the must-have piece of the season so far... |
December 17, 2011
December 15, 2011
December 13, 2011
how to become lady gaga...
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| Photo: Hedi Slimane |
By all accounts, Lady Gaga is the new Madonna. No, wait… Gaga is the new Grace Jones. No, wait…Gaga is the new…well, whatever you like, really. But there is no question that she has at least taken some cues from these female pop icons who paved the way and basically wrote the book on how to rule the pop and fashion worlds simultaneously.
The very first step is: Get a great look. And the very best way to do this is to go directly to the source. Find the right fashion people to work with and create that look and then hire an actual fashion photographer to shoot your album/cd covers. The list of fashion photographers with whom Madonna has worked over the years includes such industry giants as Mario Testino, the late Herb Ritts and the very brilliant Steven Meisel. Grace Jones worked regularly with Jean Paul Goude, who also happened to be her boyfriend, creating some of the first ever music videos, which were, in essence, short art films. These ladies set the bar and, they set it HIGH.
Gaga’s first choice of photographer is an interesting one. Hedi Slimane is responsible for the lovely, iconic black and white portait of the singer peeking out from behind the collar of a slick patent coat, among others. Fashionphiles will recognize this name instantly. Hedi Slimane is not just any old photographer, but an actual, bona-fide, in-the-flesh fashion designer turned photographer. Slimane was originally appointed to design the Yves Saint Laurent menswear collection when YSL himself stepped down. Subsequently, Tom Ford took over at YSL and ousted Slimane.
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| Photo: Hedi Slimane |
The legions of fans became a clan, the clan became a cult, and the cult grew, until all that really existed in the world of men’s fashion was Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane. The world has Slimane to thank for the whole skinny jeans phenomenon and post-grunge/neo-grunge aesthetic. Essentially, the whole hipster scene evolved out of the Dior Homme look. Slimane’s work has helped to define a generation of young men. Defining the look of a pop star would be a piece of cake in comparison.
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| Photo: Hedi Slimane |
Enter Nicola Formichetti, fashion stylist extraordinaire.
Born to a Japanese father and an Italian mother, and usually referred to as Nic by his associates, Formichetti is the man behind the curtain pulling it all together. Some of Nic’s prior projects have been runway shows for Gareth Pugh, cashmere ‘monsters’ for Uniqlo, and he is a regular contributor to V Man, i-D mag, and creative director of Dazed and Confused. A very busy man, he also works regularly on shoots with Hedi Slimane (quelle coincidence, no?).
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| Vogue Japan- styled by Nicola Formichetti |
Acccording to an interview with the UK Times, the two “fell in love”, as he puts it. “I became part of Haus of Gaga, the group of creative people around her. Together, we create her outfits for everything. We come up with tour ideas and music videos. We just shot the Bad Romance video. I put all the fashion credits on my blog, then Gaga twitters about it. It’s like a living fashion magazine.”
And that, my friends, is how to become Lady Gaga.
December 11, 2011
December 6, 2011
what does a fashion stylist do?...
according to Suzy Menkes...
Stylist: "a slippery description that can mean fashion coordinator, image director, gofer at photo shoots or, more recently, a person who reinvents a brand or repositions a designer's direction on the runway."
November 30, 2011
streetstyle...how to wear sweat pants...
*this is how i wear mine...
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| grey wool/satin knit pants by sacai dk navy tropical wool cutaway blazer by yohji yamamoto wht rayon t shirt-? blk sheer striped u-nk t shirt by 51inc slvr shell lapel pin by mina perhonen brushed slvr handcuff bracelet by helmut lang (old school) blk suede ankle boots-? purchased on 8th street |
November 1, 2011
October 28, 2011
October 22, 2011
hope...
HOPE F/W 11.12
by Ringstrand Soderberg
Stockholm, Sweden
HOPE website
by Ringstrand Soderberg
Stockholm, Sweden
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| Market Collection |
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| Smart Collection |
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| Main Collection |
HOPE website
October 5, 2011
streetstyle...what to wear to a rock concert...
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| light grey XL t-shirt- j.crew... dk grey t-shirt- target plus size dept... skinny knit tuxedo pants- jonathan saunders for target (living in these)... motorcycle boots- TAO for comme des garcons... |
September 21, 2011
September 15, 2011
who is edward enninful...?...
A conversation with W Magazine's new fashion director...
*excerpt of my interview from 2009...
Edward Enninful talks about models, styling, working for Anna Wintour...
and being able to transcend...
Having been an editor at i-D by the tender age of 17, at the time of this interview Enninful had achieved the styling trifecta - working for i-D, American and Italian Vogue magazines...
*wishing him all the best in his new position at W magazine...
Softgrey: You’ve had quite an amazing career.
Edward Enninful: Thank you. I don’t know how, but somehow I managed it! (laughs)
SG: And you started very young. That’s kind of remarkable. Do you think that could happen now?
EE: You know, I ask myself this question all the time… and I ask (other) people. I think that I started at a very different time. I think that when I started, fashion in England wasn’t as international as it is now. You know, we had two magazines that we worked for and I was sort of head of one. We had a thriving music industry where we made money- because we didn’t do advertising back then, we did pop stars/musicians. So we made money, and then that money was spent on your editorials. Things were kind of a little more innocent then. I think if I started now---to be fashion editor of a magazine at 17---it would probably be…No, it would be very difficult. Things are a little more commercial and I think it’s a little more cut throat today. And Conde Nast is such a juggernaut now. Back then there were British Vogue and American Vogue and a few others. Now there’s every kind of Vogue, in every kind of country. So it was a very different time.
"I think, somehow, I’ve retained a personal kind of voice."
SG: I was actually looking at some of your earlier work for i-D. I’m wondering what you think about your own work. Has it evolved? Has it changed as well, along with the market?
EE: Oh my god! I think more than anything that’s probably what’s kept me going. Because when I started off at i-D, things were very avant-garde, you know? Very based around second-hand clothes, and the (flea) markets, and not commercial. So, with the trajectory of my career---now I work at American Vogue--- it’s almost like going from one extreme to another. And then there’s Italian Vogue. But I think somehow I’ve retained a personal kind of voice. You know, the woman that I always aspire to - it’s always a cool girl…from London...from Portobello! Somehow in my work, it’s always a girl like Kate Moss. Like, even when I’m styling it’s like…'Oh - how would that girl wear this or that…?'
*excerpt of my interview from 2009...
Edward Enninful talks about models, styling, working for Anna Wintour...
and being able to transcend...
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| W Mag... ph: Steven Meisel |
*wishing him all the best in his new position at W magazine...
Edward Enninful: Thank you. I don’t know how, but somehow I managed it! (laughs)
SG: And you started very young. That’s kind of remarkable. Do you think that could happen now?
EE: You know, I ask myself this question all the time… and I ask (other) people. I think that I started at a very different time. I think that when I started, fashion in England wasn’t as international as it is now. You know, we had two magazines that we worked for and I was sort of head of one. We had a thriving music industry where we made money- because we didn’t do advertising back then, we did pop stars/musicians. So we made money, and then that money was spent on your editorials. Things were kind of a little more innocent then. I think if I started now---to be fashion editor of a magazine at 17---it would probably be…No, it would be very difficult. Things are a little more commercial and I think it’s a little more cut throat today. And Conde Nast is such a juggernaut now. Back then there were British Vogue and American Vogue and a few others. Now there’s every kind of Vogue, in every kind of country. So it was a very different time.
SG: I was actually looking at some of your earlier work for i-D. I’m wondering what you think about your own work. Has it evolved? Has it changed as well, along with the market?
EE: Oh my god! I think more than anything that’s probably what’s kept me going. Because when I started off at i-D, things were very avant-garde, you know? Very based around second-hand clothes, and the (flea) markets, and not commercial. So, with the trajectory of my career---now I work at American Vogue--- it’s almost like going from one extreme to another. And then there’s Italian Vogue. But I think somehow I’ve retained a personal kind of voice. You know, the woman that I always aspire to - it’s always a cool girl…from London...from Portobello! Somehow in my work, it’s always a girl like Kate Moss. Like, even when I’m styling it’s like…'Oh - how would that girl wear this or that…?'
September 13, 2011
September 12, 2011
September 10, 2011
September 9, 2011
symmetry...
"perfect symmetry is ugly…i always want to destroy symmetry..."
*Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons
*Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons
September 8, 2011
September 7, 2011
September 1, 2011
August 31, 2011
August 30, 2011
if i could get my hands on chrissie hynde...
*this is how i would dress her...
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| blk leather coat blk wool sweater blk leather button front mini -all by chanel motorcycle boots- yohji yamamoto |
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| blk pony cropped jkt- adrienne landau wht tuxedo shirt- ? blk suede laced front pant- alexander mcqueen |
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| dk navy waxed cotton and gabardine coat- costume national raw denim mini w/folded hem- Y-3 shoes- stella mccartney |
August 25, 2011
what's better?...
or to tilt at windmills - a la don quixote>?
or in the words of the bard aka shakespeare...
'to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing, end them'...
hard to say...
but the latter was definitely considered insane while the first was only labeled a dreamer...
still...
i think i have my eye on a couple of windmills right now...
*oops...there she goes again* ...
August 23, 2011
what's an idea worth?...
The creative role of a fashion stylist...
Brand strategy…brand management…
Brand strategy…brand management…
This is a concept that many companies outside the fashion industry are starting to look at more closely. In this overcrowded, oversaturated marketplace, every brand is looking for an edge, either to reposition themselves or to establish their identity. Companies currently exploring this notion range widely, from Johnson and Johnson to major hotel chains and a great many fledgling Internet companies.
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| Gucci ad campaign-styled by Carine Roitfeld |
Fashion companies have long employed stylists in this role, because in fashion, obviously, image is everything. The best stylists are highly regarded for their vision, razor sharp instincts and their ability to filter information, zeroing in on the best of the best. In a sense, they are styling the brand; carefully putting together all the pieces of the puzzle into one strong, cohesive statement in order to set the brand apart from everything else on the market. It is not just a matter of putting together a 'cute look', but about considering all the factors as to why a certain look works for that particular brand at that particular moment in the world. It's about merchandising a collection in the best way to maximize sales volume. It's about knowing the difference between how something looks in person and how it will photograph for the ads and the web. It's about understanding the retail experience at the point of sale, both online and in store. It's certainly about creating an image- but ultimately- it's about selling clothes. Lots and lots and lots of clothes...
What all well-respected professional fashion stylists possess are great instincts, a strong vision and creative new ideas, coupled with years of experience -
*it's all about the 'EYE'...
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| Ms. Carine Roitfeld |
One very famous example of this is Carine Roitfeld, former editor-in-chief of French Vogue. Ms. Roitfeld is largely credited by fashion insiders with the enormous success of the Gucci brand under Tom Ford. As the stylist for all the runway shows and provocative ad campaigns and as the ‘muse’ for the collections (she has been quoted as saying that a number of garments in the early collections came straight out of her personal wardrobe/closet), there is no question that she had a major impact on the image (and the product) of that brand.
Ironically, at a time when many companies outside the fashion industry are finally beginning to recognize the value of this creative role, so many fashion companies appear to have lost sight of it. With a great many brands having been purchased in recent years by business-minded people (often with no fashion-related experience), many of them now seem focused only on the bottom line. It’s almost as if they cannot comprehend the value of a stylist’s work, because it’s not something which can easily be measured and plugged into a calculator.
Ironically, at a time when many companies outside the fashion industry are finally beginning to recognize the value of this creative role, so many fashion companies appear to have lost sight of it. With a great many brands having been purchased in recent years by business-minded people (often with no fashion-related experience), many of them now seem focused only on the bottom line. It’s almost as if they cannot comprehend the value of a stylist’s work, because it’s not something which can easily be measured and plugged into a calculator.
Which leads to the question: What's an idea worth?
The exact figure remains elusive. Truthfully, an idea is something ephemeral and difficult to quantify. However, whatever that figure is determined to be, one can be sure it is a necessary part of the price of success.
August 22, 2011
you ARE a fashion geek!...
here are the answers to the quiz!...(see post below)
*how did you do?...
*how did you do?...
1. Alber Elbaz; YSL womenswear
(bonus: He left because Gucci group bought YSL and Tom Ford wanted to design YSL womenswear himself)
2. Riccardo Tischi
(bonus: Alexander McQueen)
3. Patrick Robinson
(bonus: Todd Oldham)
4. Raf Simons
5. Rochas, Nina Ricci and Theory (in that order)
August 19, 2011
are you a fashion geek?...
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| Michael Caine |
Once upon a time...
there were science and math geeks, identifiable by their pocket protectors, heavy black glasses and their ability to tell you the square root of the hypotenuse without batting
an eyelash.
That was then and this is now-
these days we have a relatively new phenomenon...
the fashion geek!
the fashion geek!
August 17, 2011
August 16, 2011
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