Friday 30 December 2011



    Can't say no to an outfit that mixes 60s print, 70s laid-back nature, color pops, and hand-made jewellery. Love the unexpected combo of colors and the little personal details. Via where, I am afraid to say has slipped my mind, but a great shot, a great look!

Thursday 29 December 2011



“Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I'm not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you've felt that way.”

-Charles Bukowski

Hit the Ground Running; A First Draft




    'Tis the season for letting go of all inhibitions...Christmas, with all of its frivolities and family duties, and the New Years fete of a passing year drowned in Baby Duck, give us the excuse to frisk and fritter away the vast majority of December. Responsibilities, budgets, and dietary guidelines are left in the sparkling dust of jubilation and unbridled revelry.

     But now, a mere 3 sleeps away from 2012 (or 2, depending on how enthusiastic you are in greeting the New Year), I have started to reflect on how I will take on this fresh start...I want to hit the ground running. Thus, here is my 2012 List, first draft...

   1- Try my hand at interviews
   2- Finish saving for, and purchase a new computer (preferably one that doesn't frequently crash mid-post)
   3- Post at least 4 times a week
   4- Conquer my apprehensions of the gas pedal and learn to drive (I've been rocking an L for a period of time I don't wish to admit)
   5- Secure an internship, and network my way out of the stifling security of my current retail job
   6- Attend at least one local art/music/culture event bi-monthly
   7- Embark on a personal study of journalistic form (this one is my favorite because it means I get to read all of my coveted magazines and columns whilst learning)

...that's it, that's all for now. I'll save the rest for the New Years Day hangover, when I've finally had my fill of holiday hedonism.

What's on your list?
  

Wednesday 28 December 2011

Black Surf

     I fell head over fin for Tisci's surfer-meets-mermaid and birds of paradise looks for ss12. Recently released is the ad campaign for the collection, shot in Barcelona by Mert and Marcus. Staring Gisele Bundchen, Chris Moore, Simone Nobili, and muse Mariacarla Boscono, it is a dark nod to a rather fashionable surfer's life, livened by the vibrant paradise hues of the menswear, and the stunning aqua-life construction of the women's soiree-appropriate surf garb.




Tuesday 27 December 2011

SOMETHING BLACK

    I'm always interested to see fresh interpretations of the oft-enacted subjects that compose American iconography. They have been painted, filmed, sprayed on public walls, sung about, torn into pieces; reconfigured and re-interpreted in countless ways over the past 5 decades. Yet, somehow, I still find myself intrigued...

    Showing at New York's Ace Hotel, Matt Black describes "Something Black" as "...an excursion into the bloodstream of American iconography; a personal subjective vision through the paragons of desire, violence, cities, and landscapes." Using layered composition of various symbols (see sun-soaked palm trees, black bandannas, crosses, stripes, and stars), Black creates broken cultural landscapes that ooze gloom.

    The distorted and eerie noir  mood evoked by his work reminds me of a certain 2011 musical gem, Dirty Beaches' 'Badlands', which you should check out afterwards here ,because it was one of the most interesting albums to come out of this crazy and soon-to-be bygone year. 







Monday 26 December 2011

I have talented friends



    This is Lynsey. She is blessed with badass painting skills. We are good friends because we share an affinity for zombie culture. Look how talented my friends are!

Sunday 25 December 2011

Thursday 22 December 2011

Ephemera Friends

   
    PHEW. Apologies from my having dropped off the face of the cyber-world for the last few days. There was much frantic running around to be done. This is my first Christmas season ever spent as a Last-Minute Shopper, and I can't say that I will ever let it happen again. I could practically feel myself spouting green hair and my heart decreasing in size. Sunday is Christmas! It's practically here!

    Anyways...
  
    Meet Mark Hall-Patch. He makes beautiful watercolour paintings of ratty old clothing that make me want to a) pull everything out of my closet to replicate and b) raid his closet of those cozy looking sweaters and perfectly well-loved rock tees. He also makes Bieber bad-ass and does cool things with graphic design...













 Get to know Mark and his work here and then show the love by purchasing his wardrobe art on Etsy.

Friday 16 December 2011

Cardinal Sin



"Cardinal Sin"
Banksy's latest at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

“I’m never sure who deserves to be put on a pedestal or crushed under one.”

Before the Fall 2012: Proenza and Schouler

    It seems as though the fresh air of Jack and Lazaro's recent Himalayan trek did their latest collection as much good as their city-smog-imbued lungs. Mountaineering themes were seen in sportive materials such as nylon and mesh, quilting reminiscent of sleeping bags, and bungee cord detailing. A signature bustier top was paired with a  high-waisted a-line skirt, each printed on silk jacquard with an aerial view of mountain ranges (word to Google Earth for making the program, but I think the boys have taken it to a whole new level). As always, J and L presented form with pique, and stunning saturated colors, and although I'm sure the Schouler boys donned something far more fashionable (perhaps one of Ghesquières Spring 12 visors), we tip our Tillys to them for reiterating the beauty of outdoor activity.







 
For full coverage, see here.

Wednesday 14 December 2011


    I believe in cultivating opposite, but complementary views of life, and I believe in meeting life's challenges with contradictory strategies. I believe in reckoning with the ultimate meaninglessness of our existence, even as we fall in love with the miracle of being alive. I believe in working passionately to make our lives count while never losing sight of our insignificance. I believe in caring deeply and being beyond caring. It is by encompassing these opposites, by being involved and vulnerable, but simultaneously transcendent and detached, that our lives are graced by resilience and joy.

-Fritz Williams

Tuesday 13 December 2011

PUNKATURE

   
    To me, a great editorial is like one of Salinger's Nine Stories; a short-lived and limited access into a character's world that leaves you nonetheless with a sense of having known them personally. It should leave you intrigued and yet, simultaneously remiss to actually meeting them, for fear of breaking that perfect little window that granted you their being.

    My craving for this perfection of character is usually, if not always, satiated by the editorials of Another Magazine (every magazine floor attendant has now learnt to fear my frazzled presence during the interstice weeks of the UK and Canadian release dates). In the current issue, there is such an example seen in 'PUNKATURE', the editorial shot by Nick Knight and styled by the lovely Alistair Mackie (one of my most loved stylists). All characterisation aside, the photography is stunning, and revisits the grittiness of 80s and 90s editorial.

    Anyways, enough words...on with the visuals!