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Knot Today

2.25.2014

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Ark & Co. skirt via Lulu*s, Mango coat and turtleneck, F + S bag, Elizabeth and James heels via Bib + Tuck, Warby Parker Kimball glasses, Vera Meat rings (i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi), Vanessa Mooney hand chain, Datter eye ring

I enjoy little moments of flair; sometimes I forget that there aren't any rules and that clothes are like clay. Case and point: I wasn't in the mood to start tripping over a maxi skirt in heels, but wanted some flowy movement, so I just knotted the thing and felt better about the world.

I've also realized that asymmetrical bottom pieces work a bit better on my body, so I'll be experimenting a bit more often. Perhaps I'll start cuffing one leg of my pants, but then folks might start asking if I ride a fixed gear, and I'll have to start admitting I'm scared of the New York City traffic.

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(comment section is located in the diamond at the top of the post...
...I cannot for the life of me figure out how to move it yet, sorry folks, bear with me)

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Loose//Loner

2.24.2014

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Obesity & Speed over shirt, vintage men's button-up and beaded top, Vintage Coach bag, AG Jeans, Asos shoes

Been helping out my pal Lyz from Obesity and Speed down at the Capsule show this weekend by keepin' her company and checking out the goodz. We had absurdly lovely weather this weekend in NYC, which jogged our collective memories by giving us a bittersweet taste of early springtime before we're bound to be slapped with more snow and nasty cold later this week. Still, I met the afternoon sun with this reworked vintage army shirt that Lyz reconfigured ever so righteously.

One of the many things that Lyz and I have bonded over is our love and interest in the New York City that bred bands like the Velvet Underground and Suicide; the dark, beautiful-in-its-hunger-kinda place where things were reconstituted and flipped on their heads into something new and viciously provocative. They're all qualities that Lyz reflects back into her work: from her hand-treated destroyed tees to her cleverly reworked vintage outerwear. Like, you probably can't tell from these photos, but there are subtle frays and rips in this heavy shirt that reveal a life lived, and Lyz picked it especially for those lovely signs of history before applying the hand-dyed lettering on the back.

To keep things comfortable, I layered a massive men's dress shirt with a loose pair of jeans, but played with this delicate beaded crepe top that I've managed to dig up from this past summer. Not exactly slinky like a post-punk wannabe, but, y'know, I try to be thoughtful.

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Heaven Scented

2.19.2014

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Here's the thing, I'm always ridiculously grateful if I ever get a compliment on something I'm wearing or  doing; but if you enjoy the fragrance I wear and make a point of mentioning it, then I know we've got a lot in common. 

Perhaps it's a bit cliché to say that fragrance is a personal thing (and I'm saying fragrance here, not perfume or cologne, more on that in a minute); but at the end of the day, fragrance- on a molecular and physical level, holds a multitude of sensory realms. I've become drawn to the art of scent for a number of reasons: 
1)All the important women and men in my life have had a nearly political devotion to the kinds of scents they wear (my mom wears elegant and powdery scents, but also layers them with green, musky colognes when she goes out, my Grandma has always worn Mugler Angel, dad wears Crew aftershave, first love wore Chanel Bleu...)
2) Having grown up with parents who frequently garden, I have slight botanical knowledge and looooove the nuances that lie within the scents of the natural world
and whenever I step into a room or examine something, my mind immediately goes to what I'm smelling at that moment.

I would own an entire library of perfumes and colognes if I could, only problem is, everything is so goddamned expensive! And with good reason too; the process of refining essential oils and masterfully blending and layering each beautiful note makes my head spin at the very thought. Still, I seriously go into Sephora or Diptyque or Le Labo when I find myself with some time off on Broadway and just go through each scent, picking out the notes I like and what gives me a headache. And while I had loved the scents I'd been wearing lately- and while my friends seemed to like them on me, something was missing, and that something was the connection to a memory, rather than just something I liked.

And then, in a sweet moment of discovery, I came across Commodity Goods and fell in love right before a moment of amazing happenstance which put me in contact with their home team <3 p="">
If you're obsessed with perfume and colognes like I am, then holy hell, this site will be a revelation for you too. I don't know about you, but I prefer to be alone when I'm looking for a fragrance. I don't want anyone interfering with my opinion by attempting to sway me into buying a stupid gift set in an ugly tote bag or something. Yes: I need to be alone, and I need to wear the scent for a day, see how it works with my body's chemistry and then come back. Now, the amazing thing about Commodity is that what they do is send you a "Fitting Kit" of their fragrances in sample atomizers, which lets you smell and get to know each one in your own time. After finding what you like, you order away. The solitude and the "getting to know" process is super cool and really the way to go, if you ask me.

And don't be fooled by the obscure names and delightfully simple packaging, these scents are seriously sophisticated and made in small batches in France; so they're incredibly concentrated and they stay with you forever. I personally fell in love with Book and Pinot. Book is a cologne with spicy, green notes with sandalwood and vetiver which reminds me of childhood trips to the Adirondacks along with the first time I stepped into the Gramercy Park Hotel, while Pinot is mysterious with creamy musks and patchouli; I like to think of it as the perfume equivalent of a smokey eye, closely related to Tocca's Cleopatra (which is what I'd worn all last year but this is waaaay sexier). 

I've been wearing them layered together, if I'm going out, I'll add a dash of Elizabeth and James' Nirvana for some extra sandalwood and violet notes (PRO TIP: I wear my fragrances on the back of my neck so people can especially smell them when they hug me). I swear, I never have to buy perfume again for like, the next year or so. What a friggin' relief! Moments in life change, so who knows, maybe I'll be a different person in need of a different scent next year; but if that happens, I already know Commodity's got it.

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!!!!!

2.17.2014

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AYR Ciggy Jeans, Everlane belt, tank via Etsy, Vintage jacket, Jenny Bird Illumina Bib necklace and Hustle and Flow bracelet, De Lune x By Boe Odyssey Choker, Giles & Brother Archer necklace, Vanessa Mooney A Quiet Sentiment hand chain

I know, it's an intense shirt, but I had such a visceral reaction to it when I found it on Etsy that I had to have it; very much akin to Vivienne Westwood's breast tee, only much more sinister. There appears to be this strange plethora of Thailand-sourced "punk" tee shops on Etsy that supply band shirts & other appropriated stuff on tagless, raw-hemmed cotton tops. I really, really love the weight and shape of them, this one is another favorite.

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Sunday Cinema: Jack Smith's "Normal Love"

2.16.2014









The radical departure of life through art; it is what an audience must submit to while viewing a film by Jack Smith, especially his 1963 masterpiece "Normal Love". Before there was Fellini or Warhol, there was Jack Smith working out of his Hyperbole Photo Studio in the West Village, radically stepping outside of the McCarthy mess that was the 1950's. Oh yes, the McCarthy era: a period in which, to put it mildly, artistic tendencies of questioning the world around us were wholly rejected and looked upon with utter suspicion thanks to the practice of basing "disloyalty" on social criticism. Out of these post-WWII moments of social conformity, Smith came at the heart and soul of sweeping conservatism and banality with the most unbelievably lavish, erotic and fantastic displays of sensuality, love and the performative joys of life. 

I also love Jack Smith because he made Andy Warhol look like a fool (as his predecessor, it's only natural, but still). I loves me some Warhol, but he couldn't have done anything without Jack Smith's influence.

 According to Judith Jerome's book on Smith's life and work, Normal Love had been screened on and off  in its birth year of 1963, but it was only made available to the public once again after being reassembled in 1997. That's thirty years of it being relatively out of public sight, thanks to rising social expulsion and mistrust of "the other" in his films. It was his first color film, following his other 1963 film Flaming Creatures, which, although shot in black & white, has these intense performative moments that are so much like a Freudian head case that the scenes and "creatures" on the screen hit your brain in some frequency of metaphorical color. Normal Love is a more "commercial" follow-up from the orgies and scenes of nudity that would make audiences faint when Creatures was first shown. The increasing climate of censorship, as Jerome described it, pushed Smith to create these incredible scenes of lavish, colorful party-goers, dressed in satin and glittering makeup and headdresses. You have Mario Montez in a bathing cap and pearls, swimming in a milky liquid, you have Alice in Wonderland-meets-Ali Baba-meets-Weinmar-era Cabaret; everything presented in this film makes no goddamn sense and yet all the sense in the world as you just give in to the viewing pleasure of visual syrupy candy.

Jack Smith has had a profound effect on the way in which I try to see the world through art. It's been said that Smith would walk down the street in New York City and rearrange the trash on the curb to make it more aesthetically pleasing, and that sort of stuff just gives me goosebumps from how profound the sense of potential for beauty he had was. It's something I've tried to always emulate in the way I dress, in the way I perform my life and the way I try to give a double take towards things I don't fully understand. I like to think that life should be felt at all costs, especially the ugly and horrible shit, and Jack Smith is definitely a hero of mine for laying down the foundation for filming all the glitter, filth and beauty the world has to offer.

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Wisps

2.13.2014

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Free People chiffon blouse, vintage scarf 'n boots, Walter Baker jacket, Everlane High-Low belt, Warby Parker Kimball frames, AG jeans

Some post-lecture schmoozing.
Been layering long, sharp lines atop loose basics after taking a cue to belt my outerwear á la the YSL 2000 Fall collection. Belt of choice was Everlane's High-Low belt, an example of when good design goes really, really right thanks to minimal line and close attention to craft. I first heard about Everlane when my good friend Aude, who is an architecture student in Versailles, brought the site up on my laptop after listening to me moan and groan on about how I was having a hard time finding a belt that would just serve its purpose and look great. And boom, problem solved. Both of Everlane's belt designs are wonderfully minimal yet sophisticated, with excellent hardware and leather to boot. All while carrying through the brand's dedication to complete transparency when it comes to the manufacturing process of their garments and accessories. It's something I really, truly appreciate, and I think what they're doing is noble and good. Right on, Everlane.

In the meanby, isn't this scarf fun? This fringy vintage number was acquired a few years back, but it never came into heavy rotation until recently. I wasn't much of a scarf+daytime clothing kinda person, but I think this adds some great texture and color, especially with light bouncing everywhere with the snow, no?

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Tales of Endearment x Nifty Thrifty

2.12.2014










Okay so Natalie Joos posted this editorial on Tales of Endearment like, 10 minutes ago and I am FREAKING OUT over how great it is. I was a buying intern at Nifty Thrifty last year and I loved every second of working and learning there, so to see such a wonderful interpretation of the company's vision is kind of pulling at my heart strings. I'm so happy for the team!

See the full editorial HERE

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Anika Smulovitz, Lip Liners

2.11.2014



Anika Smulovitz, Lip Liners, 2003

There's a moment in Girl with a Pearl Earring in which the young narrator, Griet, finds herself in the subject's chair of her employer, Dutch Renaissance master Johannes Vermeer.  Griet is his maid, but her keen eye and quiet demeanor have allured Vermeer, and they are both drawn into a complicated, silent love affair of mutual contingency, which leads to her becoming the subject of Vermeer's most seducing portrait. In this particular moment, Vermeer begins painting Griet with the request that she part her lips and leave her mouth open, just ever so slightly. It is that gesture of appearing to be in between the moment of speaking and catching glances that makes the painting as striking as it is.

It's a seductive scene to say the least, and I always find myself going back to that moment because although they can go unnoticed, relaxed lips are truly distinctive. That's why Jeweler/fine artist Anika Smulovitz's vision for Lip Liners is so intensely spot-on:

"My background as a jeweler has led me to explore lips in the context of the interrelationship between the body, adornment, and issues of intimacy... The line that is created where the lips meet when a person’s mouth is in a relaxed pose is almost as unique and individual as a fingerprint. I want to accentuate this distinctive and compelling part of the body, bringing attention to the lips without interference or constraint." 
(via)

So check it: each of these sterling silver pieces- more attuned to sculpture than jewelry- are custom fitted. When I first saw these photos, my initial thought was "Hmm, that looks interesting, but come on that can not possibly be practical" but to my complete surprise, they're designed in a way that makes them totally wearable thanks to two hooks that are custom built to fit the bottom lip. Would I wear them out and about? Certainly no. But that's not the point.

I don't have to say these pieces are sensual, it's a quality that is totally and completely inherent when considering anything in relation to the mouth; but the rendered, glistening polish of the silver, he shape that resembles beaded liquid on the mouth, the sheer simplicity of the line: it's all gloriously sexy, nearly pornographic in a totally great way. The artist has also chosen to have (what appear to be) only men's mouths model her pieces. Perhaps as a way to stir intrigue towards the notion of typically gendered intimacy and closeness. The lack of fullness in her subjects' lips interacts with the liners in a way that makes them more distinctive as well. To say the least, there are indeed a ton of delicious moments worth analyzing within this project.

Smulovitz strives to convey the "non-neutrality" of materials and their relationship to the body, and Lip Liners is completely successful in that it elevates not only how individual our bodies are, but also how the slightest part of us can be beautiful, just when we don't even realize it.

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Creatures of Comfort Fall 2014

2.08.2014
















photos via

Man, the styling in this collection:
A-friggin'-plus

Update: Toooootally mixed up an NYMAG review for Creatures of the Wind with this one the last time I posted, thank you to the readers who pointed out my mistake, definitely learned my lesson to maybe not write when I'm sleep-deprived...

Although it's gotten mixed reviews, I appreciate the eclectic, thoughtful styling of this collection. Perhaps it's because I am still learning how to layer thoughtfully myself, or maybe it's because I'm sentimental for the coats and bags that remind me of my mom's. In any case, the fact that this collection had a sense of grown-up playfulness (read: intellectual) intrigues me, and I guess it should, because according to designer Jade Lai, the inspiration for the collection was the board game Clue.

See, after reading that, in my head, I went "Genius, I say! Simply delightful". The looks and pieces themselves would definitely benefit from a clutched, glinting candelabra or a bit of rope at hand, no? Oh, and in the library, these looks are definitely in the library. 
The colors are INTENSELY good, no wonder Clue's been played for years; the damn color scheme of the game and the movies were always classically rich and- ahem- reminiscent of what you'd expect to find in the home of a plundering English explorer decked and surrounded by the riches of his country's colonies. 

Yes, the pieces are awkward though, that last dress seems to have pissed some folks off because it has the asymmetrical pocket at the top that doesn't seem to do any good, but the color's nice! And the silk 'n wool combo is always such a feast if you ask me. Intellectual is the word that comes to mind when looking at the pieces: practical in their warmth, clever in their layers, unstuffy in their proportions and whimsical in their details. And flats, oh, glorious flats with socks, I don't care if it looks super-granny, that's its charm. Just because the layers are strange at moments (ones I haven't put up here) doesn't mean that we can't see them as fun. Again, at the end of the day, maybe it's because this collection reminds me of my mom, who is a graphic designer and very partial to Heritage leather bags with brass hardware, strap flats and oversized knits; but perhaps what's more is that I was able to look at this collection and learn something about getting dressed.

So there, first show of the week that I can really get behind. 

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