See Like Me

Adidas Y-3 S/S 2012 Campaign / Collier Schorr

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:29:20 -0700

The new Y-3 Spring/Summer 2012 campaign by Collier Schorr takes its cue from the experimental city of Brasilia. Portraits are collaged with xeroxes of archival Brasilia, to suggest a delicate balance between the body and the many ways it is contained. Hmm, let me just express my love for Collier Schorr, and how she takes great portraits of “adolescent men” (translate how you will) without being creepy about it. Kind of like an amazing version of Larry Clark, or early Terry, but because she’s a woman it’s a completely different approach. The press release is filled with the word “modernist”, so I guess that describes the film. For context, look at this modernist gas station. Think La Haine, but modernist. Modernist means that in future everyone is ESL and is dressed in androgynous Y-3 by Yamamoto. You may even be inspired to draw on chola-style brows, but with a modernist twist. You may feel compelled to sit at empty desks, or stare at “relics of the past”, like typewriters (These things used to work?!). I’m pretending I’m Ayn Rand, looking at the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. If you’re worried about a future of screen swipes and double taps, read this. “I’m certain that this is the right place for me.” ADIDAS Y-3.

Acne F/W 2012

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:31:28 -0700

I can probably count the number of fashion shows I’ve been to on two hands. I’m not going to pretend I’m some kind of authority; I’ve only been around since 2008, and I readily admit that the clothes side of fashion doesn’t really get me excited (and yes, there are other sides to fashion). In fact, I used to think of fashion week as being a bit of a spoiler that stopped the online flow of editorials. What I do remember from attending these shows and spending time with the journalists and editors who attend them, is that they all have real opinions that they loudly voice as soon as the show is over. “That was awful! Ew, did you see those jank bracelets he made them wear? That was all styling—there was no design aspect. Let’s go to La Perle for a bière.” In fact, the arguments people have on tumblr about Raf being overrated and Riccardo being hit-and-miss are eerily similar to the conversations had by editors of very important websites. Every fashion week, the one recurring motif was the bombardment of complaints that “everything is going downhill; nothing is original; it’s the same every season; I can’t think of one stand out” etc. I agreed, since I only truly liked a handful of the collections I saw, until this fashion week (read: month). I haven’t really done the whole study-up-on-the-past bit that’s apparently necessary to put everything into context, but I’d like to say that this menswear fashion week was the best I’ve ever seen. It was consistently extraordinary, from the music, to the bags, to the hair, to the shoes, to the padding (which, we’ll get to later). So let this be my first official series of reviews, starting from the best.

ACNE
I’m a bit partial to Jonny Johansson’s creative direction. I have yet to see a bad Acne collection. The cropped jackets and eggshell coats and the fuzzy sweaters were just to die. Looks 26 & 29 were a bit Dior Homme-y but luckily Dior Homme was good this year, so we’ll just brush those off. The whole padding trend seemed to continue right until the very end of fashion week with Acne, that I’d like to think started with Moncler Gamme Bleu in Milan, that I’d like to think started with Calvin Klein Collection F/W 2011 in New York. This makes me want to buy a padded coat and roll around on hard surfaces and take up fencing. Even the furry things seemed to reference a vivid 90s image of Cher Horowitz or Drew Barrymore in Never Been Kissed. All in all, Jonny’s collection had everything and continues to prove that menswear isn’t just boring suits, can be wearable and not completely obvious. Typing this much about one collection makes me think that I’ll save the rest of my “reviews” for another day. Full collection here.

The Pastel Plague

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:50:29 -0700

A pastel trend in editorials has proven itself immortal, like a weed, whose removal seems onerous, if not altogether impossible. I still haven’t decided if I’m simply indifferent, or fond. One thing is for sure: this trend has been exhausted like Coco Rocha on every social network ever invented. There are even tumblrs dedicated to this muted colour scheme that revel in its pallor. It will not go away. In fact, pastel-themed editorials have been around since Karl Lagerfeld was fat (see below). However, the meteoric rise of Easter as the holiday of all holidays has put a bad taste in my mouth. Can you imagine if they sold Mini Eggs all year round? There is, believe it or not, too much of a good thing. I’m going colour blind here. This isn’t Easter Parade. Major culprits include Wonderland, Charlotte Free, The Room, Lana Del Rey, and Matthew Stone. The horse has been flogged.

Ethos / Justin Wu + Nick Bateman

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 11:24:00 -0700

I wrote the monologue voiceover for Justin Wu’s new video Ethos featuring actor Nick Bateman. I’m very excited and gracious that I got to be a part of this. It’s pretty cool when your words are put into some greater context that gives them meaning, or even an audience. I’ve been doing a lot of writing recently for a score of publications (read: like, two), and with rewrites I feel like Suzy Menkes without the Pebbles ‘do. Nick Bateman is that guy on the Abercrombie bag, and he was in Hobo with a Shotgun.

Visionaries: Tom Ford

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:39:01 -0700

Anna Wintour Interview / Vogue Archives

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:09:58 -0700

Access to 400,000 pages of fashion history can be yours for $1500, a nominal fee equal to what it would have cost you to buy every issue of Vogue in real life when it came out, in order to look at it in “crisp detail, with all the illustrations and ads” on a screen. Do you live in the 1920s and wonder what shoes you should wear out in the rain? $1500 for the answer. Or free here (just saying). Anna Wintour and Hamish Bowles (rhymes with fame, not the sandwich) bark in their posh English accents about this “treasure trove” of “memorabilia” for the “nostalgic” or uncultured. I apparently blog whenever Anna Wintour moves, which is, believe it or not, a rare occasion. But this, I feel, is another sad ploy by an old woman who “doesn’t follow market research” (CELEBS!) and “goes by instinct” (CELEBS!). Bizarre the best-selling issue of all time was fronted by models. I’m just waiting for another “risky” cover featuring a “risky” celeb, like Anne Hathaway. Who knows where that girl’s career is headed…

Alexander Fury Lives Up To His Name

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:46:00 -0700

Alexander Fury lived up to his name today, when he took to twitter to rant about one Alexa Chung. I know, this ain’t a news blog, and this type of thing you’d more expect to read on Jezebel, but give me a break, I just had to use that pun. Chung, recent recipient of the British Style Award two years running, is basically one of those fashion floaters who cruises on by, adorned with such labels as “muse”, and “fashionista”. That is to say, she basically doesn’t belong in fashion at all. So when Alex Fury was viewing the Chanel Paris-Bombay pre-fall collection on Daily Mail, and he was suggested an irrelevant article by said site about whether or not Alexa Chung was looking too thin, Alexander Fury became—for lack of a better word—furious. The unique part of this entire rant was that it was extremely direct (albeit one-sided), with Alex blatantly coming out and saying, “I HATE ALEXA FUCKING CHUNG SO MUCH”, and, among other things, calling her (my favourite) Alexa “Cow Dung” Chung—definitely a zinger. The irony here is that Alexander Fury is mostly known for his exacto-knife prose in pinpointing a collection, with a critical voice that is, dare I say, among the top echelons of fashion’s critics (i.e. Tim Blanks and Cathy Horyn). While he is used to taking a back seat and critiquing from the comfort of his office chair in a one-sided, indisputable conversation, it just seems a bit of a shock when he attacks somebody so personally. Not that I care for Alexa Chung at all. I, too, would place her among the top echelons of cow dung. But let’s be fair. All this is intended to… what? Make her go away? Make her feel bad? Both? At least it’s some good hearty fashion entertainment that you don’t have to pay for, because let’s face it, that collection was Bom-boring. [Edit: Alex Fury emailed me to make a correction about my lack of information, and to add: “I actually liked the Chanel collection. The ivory outfits with sari drapery and sarouel arrangements around the hips were beautiful, although I’m not a fan of brocade pedal-pushers”].

Karim Sadli + 032c

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:41:00 -0700

Leave it to Beaver (read: 032c) to come up with a creative way to expand on the visual horizons of Italo Zucchelli’s chef d’œuvre that was the CK Collection F/W 2011. I want every piece here, mostly because I know that if I were given the money to afford anything resembling something more high fashion than Zara, I would splurge on these padded nylon-sleeved (at least, I’m guessing nylon) sweatshirts. Karim Sadli shoots Jakub, a Julius Gerhardt look-alike (although that’s a stretch in the modeling world), looking fairly neanderthalresque (coining a new term) on a couple of boxes and stuff. The pairing with seemingly intellectual, Warhol inspired silk screens, mostly in black, gives this editorial a depth it would otherwise lack. I feel like Hans Ulrich Obrist or “Cathy Horyn: On Editorials”. If that job exists, dear readers with the power to hire, I’m your candidate. This new issue, available while quantities last and in no way am I getting paid to say this, needs to be picked up A.S.A.P.

Thomas Lohr + Sleek Magazine / Lowdown

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:35:44 -0700

Thomas Lohr puts a new spin on the shaved head. Too many editorials have featured bad haircuts, or Cole Mohr getting his head shaved. There should be a fuck yeah models getting their head shaved tumblr, because there are so many crummy examples that I’m too sloth to find. I swear all of the ideas I put on here that don’t get acted upon could really turn into million dollar ideas. Anyways, the point of this is that Thomas Lohr is still as brilliant as ever. I don’t think he has ever slipped up, which in terms of photography, means quite a lot. Just check out his website. I may be a bit partial because I met Thomas when I was in Paris and have a really great story about it: I was sitting at the Damir Doma menswear show, all by myself in the second row (there are only two rows, before you get excited) and as I haven’t yet figured out how to be fashionably late, I was there on time (read: excruciatingly too early). Naturally, I occupied myself with my phone since I know absolutely nobody who attends these types of things, and I sent a message to Thomas on Facebook that said something like “Hi Thomas, I hear you’re in Paris for the shows? We should get together it would be great to meet you and thank you for shooting for Husk”. Meanwhile, the place starts to fill up and these two guys sit down beside me. Everyone does the regular rearrangement because dissatisfaction with the seating plans always reigns. I’m staring into the abyss—fashionably, of course—when a hand reaches around and taps me on the shoulder. “Trey?” says the man belonging to the hand. It was Thomas Lohr, sitting—wait for it—two seats away from me. Destiny. We ended up celebrating over a burger at the Buffalo Grill. That’s another story…

Peel Away the Outer Shell

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 18:18:35 -0700

I’ve been attending a party with children (follow me). It’s my output when I have little input. I’ve been busy working on closing the February issue of Husk (follow us), and a cool project with Justin Wu (follow him). Hopefully more cool stuff to come when I have more time. We’ve got a lot of exciting stuff for this new issue—working with some pretty impressive photographers and have lots of stuff to say. If you haven’t yet, check out the interview with Vinz Hölzl, Husk’s founder and my co-editor on The Avant/Garde Diaries. He’ll explain everything, including the tag line peel away the outer shell I came up with to put some meaning behind the word Husk. I’m learning a lot about artists, editorials and random interesting stuff trying out tumblr the way “other people use it”. I used to just come on here to post something I found and then left. I now understand the addiction behind everything. However, I have yet to run out of cool things to find.

Derivative Works of Art

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:09:38 -0700

A video mashup (also written as video mash-up) is the combination of multiple sources of video—which usually have no relation with each other—into a derivative work, often lampooning its component sources or another text. Many mashup videos are humorous movie trailer parodies, a later genre of mashups gaining much popularity. To the extent that mashups are ‘transformative’ of original content, they may find protection from copyright claims under the “fair use” doctrine of copyright law.

New Magazine Rundown / SID / Stage Fashion / The Hunger

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:43:00 -0700

Every so often a new magazine finds its way onto the newsstand (either virtual or real) that manages to raise my eyebrows. I would say eyebrow but I don’t want you to think I have some strange unibrow that I go around shopping with. Right out of left field comes SID magazine, which, minus the dubious art direction and iffy choice of fonts, manages to make up what it lacks with its editorials—with models including, but not limited to, RJ King, Andrej Pejic, Charlie France, Lewis Grant, Jacob Young, Milo Spijkers and Tom Lander. That’s a pretty all-star cast for a first issue. It’s definitely worth looking at the preview to see if it’s up your alley, or interests your wallet (because it’s not free). Overall grade: B+

Next on the docket is Stage Fashion magazine, an independent project aiming to find relations between minimalism and luxury in fashion. And here comes the good news: the magazine is free. Produced in Paris, London and Warsaw, it features articles in French and English; it is accessible to readers all over the world via the Internet. They’ve thus far avoided the design student bombshell that is bad font choice and allusions to MS Paint. However, their tedious website makes for an unpleasant reading experience. Hey, I can’t be too nice, or else they won’t have room to grow. And let’s face it, everything can improve at least a bit. Overall grade: A-

Last but not least, we have The Hunger. Started by Rankin, who’s been in the business over 20 years, you’d think it would be a bit more… I dunno… good. Instead the two covers featuring Sky Ferreira and some old guy look a bit more like a testament to the Twilight franchise or those free magazines you get at the movie theatre before Breaking Dawn actually starts. The point is, the whole knife thing and bloodlusty eyes of Sky Ferreira paired with a name like The Hunger only suggest that what they’re hungry for is a tall glass of plasma. Yikes. Also not helping is the logo, which apparently was not painted by an eleven-year-old. Overall grade: C-

“20 years after Dazed & Confused was founded, and 10 years after the birth of AnOther, The Hunger provides creative beings with a new platform for uncompromised self-expression, innovation and discovery. Working with recognised and emerging talents in the arts, fashion and editorial, The Hunger seeks out cultural progression and distinction. Each issue of the magazine features both a male and female cover.”

Runway Report / Calvin Klein

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:18:35 -0700

Isn’t it a crying shame that nobody has capitalized on a website where you click a look that you like from a certain collection, say, look 11 from Italo Zucchelli’s Calvin Klein Collection F/W 11, and then all the subsequent editorials in which said look appears in materialize before your eyes? Am I alone here in wanting to see a certain garment in every light, interpretation, and visual representation there is available? It’s exhausting googling to the nth degree only to find shitty scans and hopeless credits. Come on, powers that be. People want this, it’s in demand, and when I become obsessed with a collection—say, this one for example—I want to see everywhere that it’s been, in one convenient location. Even all the magazines that I buy I can’t flip through fast enough. And now that it’s snowed here in Canada, there is nothing more that I want for Christmas than a puffy sweater made of, what is it? Nylon and goose feathers? I need to make a Klein blue statement in the rhine grey dreardom that is the Canadian urban outdoors. Images from style.com, metal magazine, umag, 10 men.

Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen / Designer Masterclass

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:54:15 -0700

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen did a Designer Masterclass for Net-a-Porter.com where they go through all fifteen pieces of their collection The Row. In true Olsen style, they can hardly contain their excitement. Giddily laughing and shrieking like the two über-famous twins that they are, they talk about biker girl pants that are stretchy (read: comfortable) and a cape (which is, apparently, key for a wardrobe). Citing even Fantastic Mr. Fox as an inspiration for their mustard pieces, they play off of each other, making sure not to miss a beat with the brown python (go luxe!) and the still-stretchy-still-comfortable leather stretchies (opt for wide-leg pants). Also included in the series are quotes like “That was pretty beyond”, from Behind the Seams, where we get a sneak peek at their super-secret offices so you can view the entire two t-shirt archive. “It started with a t-shirt”. And it ended… with ordering a pizza.

Alexander Beck + Alessandro Dal Buoni / Hero Magazine

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 13:57:24 -0700

Alexander Beck shines in this editorial and video by Alessandro Dal Buoni for the new issue of Hero magazine. Since it’s inception in 2009, Hero has managed to hold its own. I’ll be honest, I was wary as to whether or not a magazine completely dedicated to models—and male models at that—would be able to survive more than two issues. A magazine “all about the guys that are destined to become the faces of tomorrow’s fashion” has turned out to satisfy a niche market I didn’t think existed. Men’s magazines are extremely difficult, because advertisers know that the men who read them are most likely men who can afford the products being marketed. Therefore, there isn’t very much room for a men’s magazine geared toward a younger market. Why try to sell to kids you know can’t buy what’s being offered? This conundrum means, and I hate to say it, that there can possibly never be a men’s magazine geared towards a late-teens, early-twenties type market. And who wants to subscribe to Port? Fantastic Man? Esquire? Not me, that’s who. I’m really trying to support these magazines that dare to target young men as its audience—magazines like Ten Men and Hero. The new issue of Hero is available now.

Objectivism + Ayn Rand

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:12:20 -0600

Tavi on CBS News

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 23:05:00 -0600

So don’t know how many of you have been following Rookie Mag since its début, but apparently Tavi is into TV spots and stuff these days. The shitty part is that since she is still “finding herself” and can’t really give straight answers this interview completely sucks. It doesn’t really help at all that the interviewers are the stereotypical mom and dad that you don’t want at your birthday party and can’t even pronounce your name properly. I mean, really CBS News? Did you not watch the video that was part of your whole introductory segment where Tavi pronounces her name and then think, “Oh, maybe that’s how you say it”. Somebody should be fired, and I’ll give you a clue, THE TWO DUNCES BEHIND THE DESK. I’m mostly just perplexed as to why Tavi never mentioned the Everybody Farts post on national television. Crop dusting as I type while listening to Everybody Hurts but replacing “hurts” with “farts”. I just can’t wait until Tavi graduates and decides to let her ghostwriters go wild so she can re-enter the fashion kingdom as the new Anna Dello Russo, except the smart version. You thought I was gonna say Anna Wintour, didn’t you? Gotcha there, didn’t I? Everyboooddyyy farrrrrts, sometimes.

Miu Miu / Bruce Weber + Hailee Steinfeld

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:10:18 -0600

You may remember her as the outspoken cowgirl from that No Country For Old Men sequel. However, Hailee Steinfeld stars in this Bruce Weber biopic that’s more of a drawn out behind-the-scenes video for one of The Selby’s shoots. She frolicks with the clothes, and then, spoiler alert, waves goodbye as she eloquently exits with an armful of expensive Miu Miu product. It’s like the concluding stab after having watched her surrounded by goodies for four minutes. The appropriate Jean Cocteau reference at the beginning is aimed at telling you that you can have it all if you’re sensible and your small fire is contained and portable. Even the soundtrack is bloody awful. It’s like a throwback to the opening of Little House On The Prairie, which was the time most people left their cosy armchairs to brew a pot of tea and prepare snacks for a family of ten, to be back in time for when the show actually started. And we all wonder why she was snubbed for the Supporting Actress oscar…

Front Row At Kanye West

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:23:40 -0600

Ironic that Kanye’s debut collection was staged at a middle school—Lycée Henri IV in Paris. While it garnered many tisk tisks and face palms, it was at least a spectacle. It’s already got its own fashion spot thread; it crashed the Now Fashion website, and apparently halted YFrog for a good 20 minutes. This, not to mention the “star-studded” front row, which was full of terrible acting talent. See my three favourite looks below, and mourn together the disaster that was the models “swimming in some looks” and the lack of a “tailor so clothes might fit”. [Cathy Horyn]

Photo / The Love Magazine

Photos / Now Fashion

Husk Vol. II No. III / New Contexts

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:55:40 -0600

I may be completely bias, but I am going to try objectivity. Having finally finished HUSK’s F/W 12 issue feels a bit like Lady Gaga’s rebirth: really repulsive in principle with probably too much sweat involved. On the contrary, and completely unlike Gaga’s afterbirth, we hope you’ll be as impressed as we were when we saw the final cellophane-wrapped, high gloss cover on our doorstep. I know you’ve probably already seen some images or editorials from the new issue, and all I have to say is once you think you’ve seen everything, go and take a closer look. We have a seriously brilliant feature about Fashion’s Future (here is my objectivity kicking in) with a look into the newly proposed Condé Nast Fashion University, the future of retail with an interview with John Skelton, Creative Director of LN-CC, and other endeavors that are truly, truly exciting. Plus, our interview with Jeremy Scott doesn’t suck (people just didn’t know what questions to ask, duh!) Put simply, I really believe HUSK is something completely separate from the gross slew of banal biannuals at the newsstand. We’re completely invested in featuring things and people that we find interesting, and thus far, it has yielded a really interesting platform to deliver the message that we are tired, dead and dying from lack of inspiring material out there. We don’t talk down to you because being in our early twenties, we know what it’s like to be discriminated against by ageist fucks (see I (Used To) Hate 1990s Babies by Derek Blasberg in 10Men A/W 2009). I really don’t advocate when people toot their own horn but I seriously believe we’re at least worth a look. If you see the new issue sitting around somewhere (lol imagine a magazine ‘sitting’ as if my personification of HUSK just made it seem so real and my obvious love of magazines just gave away my deepest secret that I have tea parties and my magazine collection are the guests) pick it up and browse. Remember that word? It used to have meaning pre-internet. Just flick through. The party is not over. Buy a copy here.

Photos / Michael Donovan [Full Credits]