Mongolian

With temperatures dropping, the appearance of furs has risen; specifically, the mongolian fur. Bold, oversized and shaggy, mongolian fur is sure to make a statement. Celebrities like Kate Moss and the Olsens have been sporting and building its appeal since last winter. Perception has slowly transfered from over-the-top obnoxious fluff ball to cool confident luxury piece. And you know once it hits Topshop, the fashionable masses have solidified its acceptance.







From top:
my own street style photo
http://olsensanonymous.blogspot.com/
http://lookbook.nu/
topshop.com

LES

I found this street art on the Lower East Side (Rivington & Suffolk). It illustrates the discontent of the evolution of the Lower East Side. How it used to be a place for immigrants and diversity and now it's a place for homogenized fashion boutiques and young whites. Fear of change is part of human nature but sometimes embracing change is the only way to evolve. It's finding a balance between holding on to the old while remaining open minded to the new.

Japanese Style

The Japanese know what's up. Always ahead of the fashion curve, or maybe not even on the curve, the Japanese represent what fashion should be about...creativity, fun and experimentation. Banal Chic Bizarre is a boutique in Japan as well as a blog. Unfortunately, it's all in Japanese so the only content that I can examine is their unique garments and photo shoots. That's alright though, the visuals have the capacity to erase the language barriers for my hungry eyes.

Sandra Freij

There's not much know about Sandra Freij other than that she is a brilliant photographer from Sweden. Her photos capture the fantasy behind fashion in an ethereal way, leaving you wanting more. You can find more from her, as well as other great photographers and stylists at Lundlund.

Inspiration

Just a quick post on some fashion inspiration, check it:







From top:
Facehunter.blogspot.com
Stockholmstreetstyle.feber.se
Facehunter.blogspot.com
thecobrasnake.com
childhoodflames.blogspot.com

The Harem Pant

The Harem/drop crotch/hammer pant, whatever you wanna call it, has slowly but surely been gaining popularity on the streets. I remember seeing this look all over in Europe for the past couple years and it has finally seemed to reach the masses in the states. This trend surely requires an open mind and confidence (which sadly, the states is a bit slow on). You know it has hit the masses when you see it in H&M and Forever 21. I think it will stick around for a bit since people seem open to an alternative from the typical skinny jean.





From top:
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/
http://www.melbournestreetfashion.com/
http://www.borderlinemag.com/

In Loving Memory of the Boom Economy

Street art at its wittiest:

The sign says, "In Loving Memory of the Boom Economy"


Artist K GUY, Image from Wooster Collective

The Evolution of Music

It started out with my obsession over the song "Daydream in Blue" by I Monster. I knew that the song had been sampled by a couple hip hop artists but I didn't know that I Monster's version was not actually the original. The original "Daydream in Blue" was created by a 70's Belgian band called Wallace Collection. Anyways, each version is beautiful in its own way. The melody and instrumentals of each song are astoundingly hypnotic that they are capable of crossing all music genre barriers.

Wallace Collection:


I Monster:


Lupe Fiasco:


It's interesting to see the parallels between fashion and music in terms of recycling previous trends and making them new. So much can be gained by looking to the past. It gives a nod to the original artist while at the same time bringing something up to date and current with the times.

Tough Lace

Come fall, it seems like there's always a new trend in the tights category. This fall, I've been noticing a trend with black lace tights...pretty predictable considering all the lace in clothing. Emma Cook was one of the first designers to launch the trend with her Fall08 collection. Her paisley lace tights paired with lace chiffon dresses and combat boots was the perfect styling combination to toughen up the delicacy of lace.






Emma Cook Fall08





All Street images from Lookbook.nu

Dig it

(images from facehunter)

blogspiration

I randomly stumbled upon a rather eye-catching, inspiring fashion blog the other day. It is run by Rumi Neely who lives in San Francisco and works freelance in the fashion industry. The content of her blog is concise and features great visuals of her inspirations, self-styled photo shoots, etc. She also runs an eBay boutique which is great if you want to achieve her look. Her style looks a bit formulated at times but she manages a good balance between experimentation and "trend-consciousness". She even rocked my predicted Crop-top (wohoo!) Check out her blog here and see for yourself...

The Prints of Pilotto

This image on the Cobrasnake reminded me of my love for Peter Pilotto. Last season for Fall2008 I was lucky enough to go to his showroom in Paris to help out with the buying for the boutique I work at. Seeing the clothes in person makes all the difference. It enables all senses which is how fashion should be approached. From machinery, to the galaxy, to earthly minerals, it is evident each season where Pilotto finds his inspiration for his prints. Printed on draped, twisted and constructed forms, Pilotto creates modern pieces with unique references. With each season, his following continues to grow as does his craft.



Spring09


Fall08


Spring08

Balenciaga S09

No surprise Balenciaga has won my heart this season once again. The genius that is Nicolas Ghesquiere, leads the pack season after season by revisiting the Balenciaga archives and bringing them forth with his own conceptual experimentation. This season he presented futuristic silhouettes, dusty and bright metallics, and unique plays on form. Each look was unified by a color scheme with tights, sleeves and hair color. Always one to inspire, I'm sure we'll see influences of this collection on the streets in no time.

80's Crop Top

The crop top has had some bad connotations for a while now. In the 80's we saw it worn with tacky workout gear while in the 90's we saw it styled in a slutty fashion with low waisted jeans and belly-button rings. Well, all it takes for a return is a long absence from the scene and a change of context. Paired with a high-waisted skirt or jeans, the crop-top takes on a whole new image with just the right balance of playfulness and sexiness. The skin at the waist is in my opinion, severely underrated in terms of its alluring quality. A little sliver of skin creates a whole new and fresh dynamic. And damnnn, it's time for a new sillhouette! I'm quite tired of long, flowy, "baby-doll" tops (blehhhh). So crop it up!

From Top:
Christopher Kane Spring'08
thecobrasnake.com
stockholmstreetstyle.feber.se

Josefina Lar

Born in Sweden but based in London, Josefina Lar combines traditional concepts with avant-garde details. She manages to perfectly achieve that thin line between wearability and conceptuality. Thus far, stocklists are limited to Sweden, the UK and Japan but hopefully soon she'll be making her way across the pond.