Alphonse Berber Projects is pleased to announce it's inaugural exhibition: Kamau Amu Patton. The exhibition will bring together new site-specific light works, sculptures, prints and a single painting to create an immersive perceptual experience for visitors.
Maya Kabat, Cities and Signs 3, 16" x 16", Oil on canvas
Also, in conjunction with the Oakland Art Murmur–which is awesome and if you’ve never been, well, what the hell?!? it happens every month and it’s obscenely BARTable and RAD and, really, if you say you’ve never been because it’s in Oakland I’m going to slap you–
But if you’re not moved to hang East Bay, if you must or would like to or want to be in the city on Friday night, Cameron and Jessica would be pleased as pie to see you all at 575 Sutter St.
If you haven’t noticed, I like promoting my friends. So tell me if you’re throwing/hosting/debuting/playing/showing at some whatever event [here in the Bay] and I’ll totally talk it up. That’s how I roll.
Based out of Oakland, Huzzah!Vintage offers an impressively diverse (and adorable!) selection of vintage dresses, hats, blouses, accessories, and housewares for “everything from your 80s themed prom to your 50s style cocktail party.” Oh, and lots of retro 1960s mod too! For some crazy reason, everything is super affordable too. Love it.
THIS JUST IN: Gina has been sweet enough to offer all my readers 10% off their first purchase from HuzzahVintage.com with the code QSB10 now through June 15, 2010. So you’ve got no excuse not to pick up something pretty.
Here, I’ve pulled my five favorite pieces from her current etsy line-up of fab and rad pieces. It was nearly impossible to choose only five, but–somehow–I did. I highly recommend checking out the complete Huzzah! collection, because my top 5 don’t necessarily include your own Must Purchase Now and Make Mine pieces, you know?
1. This first one is by far my favorite. I think it’s incredible. The batik-style fabric is accented with heavy, shimmering Carolina blue paint and is fully lined in dark blue polyester. Click here for the listing, and a more in-depth description along with exact measurements (a must-have for buying online).
Described as being in excellent condition and a size Medium, this batik print, drop waist dress will run you a paltry $68. Huzzah! indeed!
2. How rad are these 1970s Corning glass tumblers? Can’t you just picture yourself with your lover, tangled up on a bearskin rug, in front of a fire, drinking hot toddies from these babies? Just me? Ah well then.
Only $10! Is it actually 1975? (That'd be kind of cool.)
3. Though I’m a smidge worried about the hand on this one–polyester being what it was–I lovelovelove the space-dyed material and cut too much to really let it bother me. It’s a classic 1960s shift dress. It is unlined, with a nylon zipper at the back-center. It is machine washable and in excellent vintage condition. Click here for the detailed listing and measurements.
It's described as a large (but, again, check the measurements for a more accurate sense of fit), this mod little number will set you back only $32. You spent more than that last weekend on drinks, and you'd look smashing holding a martini glass in this.
4. Yes, yes, yes! There is nothing I love more than a bag that goes with everything but still manages to NOT be boring. (Okay, there are a lot of things I love more than that, but, still.) Every woman needs a cool black clutch.This one is real leather, fully lined, and in excellent condition.
And it's only $24. Worth it!
5. Last but not least, this black lacy number is described as a large, but I actually think it would look awesome all boxy and oversized on someone tiny. But this 1960s piece with scalloped edging and feminine darting might just be one of those things that looks swell and swinging hip on everyone. Click here for more details.
$26. Share with your five best girlies and pay less than $5 each.
Berkeley-based, Etsy seller Elkemay makes original collages and prints. This one is called Fierce Spring and it costs $20.
Collage is certainly the only visual art in which I participate.1 (Well, that and maybe Getting Dressed. After all, I do try to throw a little artistry into that daily grind.)
And that is definitely one strong appeal for the art form: its accessibility in regard to participation (if not appreciation). It is, by definition, cutting and pasting. And unlike with painting, sculpture, et al., collage is an easy(ish) visual art for anyone creative. You don’t really need a good hand if you have a good eye.2
Oakland-based Etsy artist Hansart makes handmade, one-of-a-kind collage-style cards and prints from found materials. This one is from a set of three titled Fashion Guide to Finnish Aviation, and all three collage pieces will run you $75.
Really though, ease is not the point. I am constantly and consistently compelled by art and fashion that incorporates collage because there is something so exemplary of the Zeitgeist about collage. It’s so indicative of Our Times. (It’s also, I think, a really strong metaphor for identity, but that’s a whole other conversation.)
This is not to say that collage as an art form is something new. An exhibit showing now at the Met in New York, which I am so pissed to miss, is titled Playing With Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage. Aparently this is how bored housewives used to bide their time and feed their creative spirits. Pretty damn cool.
After all, mes amis, this is the Information Age. We are context laden, lousy with allusions and inspirations. And Collages as a species (and with the capital C) seem to be manifestations of this awareness. The images and text used in a single piece can come from anywhere and are almost necessarily anachronistic. They absolutely, by necessity come from multiple sources.
As a concept collages are very Of the Now, is what I mean.
Other Players in the Zeitgeist that are similarly reference-heavy include:
Vampire Weekend (who I want to be annoyed by but instead, lately, I can’t stop listening to them).
The whole idea of Steam Punk anything.
“That’s so meta.”
So what does this have to do with fashion?
For the April 2010 issue of W Magazine, Bruce Weber photographed fashion icon Iris Apfel with models Dree Hemingway (granddaughter of Earnest), Guinevere Van Seenus, and Kirsten Owen. Styled by Camilla Nickerson.
Well, several things I think. One, fashion in general, and Getting Dressed specifically, can be thought of in similar terms as collage art: the layering of disparate elements, the assumed diversity of source materials, the varied references, all different one from the other, or evocatively similar.
Here the stunning Alex Wek mixes and matches for the Financial Times luxury mag, How to Spend It. It is ridiculous that such a thing exists but great photos.
Think about this: In only the last ten years, major and minor lines have explicitly referenced looks from the last 200 years. To say nothing of more subtle or oblique references. To say nothing of influences that come from art or film (or whathaveyou).
Sasha Pivovarova lounges for photog Craig McDean for the February issue of Interview.
We can thank designer Dries Van Noten, in large part, for this Mix It Up trend. Here Frida Gustavsson models a look for Spring/Summer 2010. Dries is stupendous. I love pretty much every single thing he does.
What this all means–the mishmash of prints and patterns and pieces, the amalgamation of cues and clues to any number of historical periods, physical locations, political movements, and/or specific peoples–is that our wardrobes are similarly chock-full of content, context, and connotations.
The editorial, titled Global Gathering, was styled by Damian Foxe and photographed by Andrew Yee.
It also means that, despite the fact that it sometimes seems there isn’t a creative idea left in the universe (the movie based off the musical based off the TV show named after the song, the endless stream of remakes), we have nothing but abundance to inspire us and no boundaries to hedge in how we play them off of each other. Regardless of the mediums in which we work.
Par exemple, I turned the big, North-facing wall of my small Bordeaux apartment into a collage/mural. It had to be ripped (and I do mean ripped) down before I moved out of that apartment (and kicked the “ex” from my expat life).
I go to this Visionary Collage party every new year (early January) where everyone brings old magazines (and so on) and scissors and creates a piece about what they want for the coming 12 months. It’s awesome.
See, how awesome is Karlie in this drool-worthy Dries look?
Known en anglais as the Breton sweater (after the French province of Brittany), la marinière is as French as baguette.
"Bah, ouais, allez-y…Moi aussi, j'aime le pull chameau avec la mariniere. Merci…Et bien sur c'est cashmere." Image via jakandjil.com/blog.
Or fois gras, maybe.
As ohh-la-la as triple-crème brie. Or BB elle-meme.
It’s as Gallic as chain-smoking and existentialism.
It's said that this distinct, defined, and uniform design--these navy and white stripes--was chosen for its visibility amidst the choppy, murky sea, allowing for overboard young men to be spotted and hopefully plucked from their untimely, watery deaths. Image via TheSartorialist.blogspot.com.
Originallycreated for the French navy, the uniform was first co-opted by French sailors and mariners and seafarers and fisherman and other nautical men, becoming the iconic marinière, visual metonym for sailor and sea, marin being French for sailor.
The utiliarian uniform was adopted and adapted by Coco Chanel (above) in the early 20th century. Oft-repeated iterations by Gaultier and Galliano keep this look in the lexicon. As does the fact that every woman in France owns several versions. (P.S. Ain't Cooc's chien fantastic? Photo via Paperblog.fr)
The Breton striped shirt came into being following the 27th March, 1858 Act of France which introduced the navy and white striped knitted shirt as the uniform for all French navy seaman. This, I think, is really cool.
Given the smudged and sticky histories of stuff, it tickles me to no end that this one specific thing, this sartorial trope, has the benefit of a birthday, a quantifiable record beyond the quality of its endurance and distinction.
This adorable photo also tickles me to no end.
And of course Breton stripes are things that continue to pop up and prance down the runways.
For Spring 2010, Basso & Brooke offered up several allusive looks. This one is my favorite.
The simple, uniform pattern looks amazing paired with florals, leopard print, polka dots, toile, and so on. Here I’ve created a suggested look. Most of us have a floral skirt, great wedges, and some funky jewelry. Go wild.
My second recommendation for this French look pairing requires you to steal those camoflage cargo pants from your boyfriend. They make him look like a tool anyway, you know this. With the iconic striped blouse, these douchey pants make good. Mix dainty and dangerous accessories, for a rad masculine/feminine energy. To say nothing of the Army/Navy marriage. Yes, I am so clever.
For my final suggestion, I’m going for *POP*. In this case, RED is the **. Here I’m proposing a red sari as wrap skirt, but any red bottoms would work just as well, because the those stripes are going to stand out against the red. Though I would suggest choosing a non-knit fabric to contrast more acutely with the Breton sweater or T-shirt. For this particular look, because of the sari and the additional awesomeness of turquoise and red, I’m also throwing in Indian-Indian and American Indian accessories, throwing out mixed cultural references to the mix.
Note: Jak & Jil is a wonderful fashion photography blog run by the lovely seeming Tommy Ton. Likewise The Sartorialist is a wonderful fashion photography blog run by the smart and thoughtful Scott Schuman. All runway images taken from Style.com.
I'll leave you with one final fashion image: Moschino sent this look down the runway for Fall 2010. Long leather gloves! Sunglasses! Cowboy hat! Love.
I didn't love it all, but Alexander Wang did grey great for his Spring 2010 show. Deconstruting the American Jock, all gym wear gone couture, Wang continued to show a panache for smart and cool. Here, I love the unexpectedness of the skirt. I think the top would look kick ass with some high-waisted, black, stovepipe pants and chunky, tan heels.
Sartorially, I have been gravitating frequently to gray these days.
This is arguably the penultimate look from the collection, with those killer shoulders and sleeves, the high point color contrast of neutrals, and a tongue-in-cheek slur against sportswear and high fashion. Socks like that make my knees look weird but I'll take the shoes please.
I’ve got this gray, Silence and Noise tank, the tank version of this leotard, that I have been rocking frequently. Out of embarrassment I wore my striped shirt today to get my coffee but then changed back into this comfy number once again home. I’m washing it tomorrow so it can come to the wedding in Philo with me this weekend.
The color palette here is mostly grays and greys and tan and khaki, laced with red and denim. The knits are sloppy chic and I drool. The black looks at the end of the show were no good to me.
I’ve got a treasured, heather gray maxi skirt that hangs off the A quite nicely. It’s a bit moody and a bit blue in some lights but I love it. I got it at a clothing exchange years ago. The silhouette is statuesque yet flowy, and it somehow makes me seem taller than I am. And, again, it’s GRAY so it too has been put into rotation quite frequently as of late.
But I keep thinking about this collection as I keep straying to the gray knits every morning. It's a bit odd, but I'd love it right now. It's so Bay Area weather-appropriate and cool.
Finally, I’ve got that rad fur vest that Erin gave me. This is maybe my favorite thing ever.
Calvin Klein is just one of my favorite brands ever. The tailoring and cool simplicity kicks it out of the ballpark again and again. And Francisco Costa can do no wrong in my eyes, so I of course love this line for Spring 2010.
I want to stress that this does not mean my mood is grey nor should this suggest to anyone Not in the Bay that we are currently plagued by gray weather, because my mood is pretty high and the weather is AMAZING, all blue skies and warm temps and “Man I love it here.” I think the lack of color here has more to do with a desire to pop.
To me it's simple yet interesting, somehow both tailored and voluminous. I love the smoky palette that turns pastel. I love that how ethereal and messy the fabric appears.
See springtime in Berkeley is an explosion of color, the brightest in the spectrum, everywhere, everything in bloom, flowering, bitchslapping my sinuses with their pollen-heavy splendor, Roy G. Biv dropping rhymes all over town, Nature just showing off–so wearing gray is almost the only way to be seen.
Look how the material just suddenly becomes diaphanous. Notice how the crinkles defy gravity. Check out the cool, Asian-inspired shoes.
For Spring 2010, Gucci sent out all these amazing hardware splattered dresses and frocks, like this one here. The clothes were all athletic yet sci-fi fantasy.
It’s also a variant spelling word, which as a Grammar Dork and Crossword Doer and Logophile I think is really cool. G-R-E-Y, like the Metric System, appears to be the preferred everywhere but America. “GrAy” in America and “grEy” in England. Both me and Wikipedia have heard that gray can refer literally to the color and grey to the metaphorical mood or state of being. Or GreyvsGray.com says they can refer too to different shades of gray.2
A lot of the great outfits in this collection were white, but this grey monochrome is quite alluring, and I love the idea of a close-cropped, tight throughout suit.
This is another monochrome look from Frida Gianni that I'm quite taken with. I could done without the all-black looks in this collection, because, well, boring. But the tribal-esque ikat looks were good, and all blue, red, black, and gray. I'll take this coat right now though please. Thank you. Ok, I love you, bye-bye.
Quick, said the bird... 