old ideas.

      I was recently spending some time watching Style.com videos and hearing what critics had to say about collections. Aside from finding myself in the Oscar De La Renta video ( highlight of my life currently) I also found countless similarities in how editors and critics reviewed the collections. Twenties, sixties, fifties, vintage movies, film noir etc. Now I found these refrences interesting in how the designers interpreted them, but to myself as a 19 year old born in 1991 living in the year 2010, these refrences don't do much for me. I'm not saying that I dislike them, or that they are boring, but I don't see how interesting  " flappers, and timeless Paris" can really be in this century. Most designers think of these refrences due to what the critics viewpoints are. If Editor A has a broad amount of knowledge from 20's -60's and works for top magazine A, im pretty sure designers will have that timeline in mind when creating a collection. What this creates is this constant cycle of using the same refrences, and while sometimes its nice to see something being redone in a new way, it can get very redundant, and boring, and not-so-timeless, and a little annoying, and raises the question " Do I really want to dress like I'm from the 20's?"
    Wordplay also has a big thing to do with how they get away with it. "Modern" is the most common word used to save a collection from sounding boring because the designer used the same time period that the other 20 designers used. You call one collection timeless or modern and then call the rest 20's, then we have a new modern standard to follow and strive to surpass each season. This cycle is bullshit. It basically keeps us watching the same stuff every season, and has those aspiring to work in the industry study endless material that isn't needed. Yes, there are those key moments and pieces of history that do need to be studied,  but there is a difference between what's inspiring and interesting and what needs to be known to sound smart.
   Blogs and social media are already changing the way fashion editors and critics refrence. Bloggers (like myself) who are particularly young refer from more of the 70's - present. I read numerous blogs out there and it is VERY rare that I see a blogger refer to something earlier than that timeframe unless it's a literal interpretation. Celebrities are getting younger and younger with reality tv  (hills, city, etc.)  and their style ad well as style blogs (EXCEPT the Sartortialist) are exuding true modern style and become inspiration for designers as well.  If this continues, it could possibly shift the face of fashion, and somewhat "force" designers into more modern inspiration, such as 80's punk rock, vintage as the new classic, 90's  supermodel era, early 2000's , reality TV, movies, maybe even this whole 3D trend going on right now. Only time will tell, but until then, if you really want change, GIMMIE A JOB! LOL.

 

photography mash up.

 So, my friend Alejandro from Colombia sent me some new work he has done over the past few weeks. His phtography is  really raw, yet stylized. He coveres many topics and subjects, but of course I'm going to delve into his fashion based work.

This picture is so fun. The focus also isn't totally on the clothes, the two cotton balls add a nice shape to look at from the angular jacket.

Reminiscent of a Marc Jacob's Daisy ad.

I just love the spontaneity of this picture, and it's also very modern looking.

I like this picture for two reasons. The shot can fit PERFECTLY with text for a magazine editorial. Also, the backdrop and dresses are so grand and dramatic. I am a big fan of his out of the ordinary style, and I'm looking forward to getting more of his stuff.  The designer No.6's spring collection was also very creatively photographed.

THIS IMAGE HAS THE SPROUSE EFFECT AND I FUCKING LOVE IT! SO SMART with the matching couch and dress. The couch just makes me pay attention to the dress even more, and the mirrors on the couch are sick.

I love the deep v neck of the dress, and it really stands out on the backdrop of the flowers.

Not a fan of this image, but the fabric and shape of the back of the dress is really architectural in a funky way, and I think they photographed it in Central Park. Which is a plus because I love C.P. haha.

click here to look up more of Alejandro's work.

click here to shop No.9

[Images via ALEJANDRO ANNICHARIOS flickr]

Zac Posen and the SPROUSE effect

I call it THE SPROUSE EFFECT. Its when the amazing color styling by one of my favorite designers  Stephen Sprouse, is redone in a new way. Zac Posen's S/S 2010 collection contained a few colorful, "sprouse worthy" pieces.

Love the see though jacket, also seen on the Versace runway as skirts. The 2nd outfit also contains a Sprouse signature which is the colored leggings.

The dress on the left is VERY Sprouse, just missing the marker outlining on the flowers. The dress on the right also gives off the Sprouse effect, could be stronger however if the light blue strip was removed.

This also contains the Sprouse effect, however the look could have been stronger with leggings.

Using solid colors or colerful graphic prints are slowly becoming a trend. We already saw this on Versace and a few Chanel pieces. Hopefully it can continue.

[images via Style.com]