That’s My Kind of Mojito
Gilding the Lily reader, Steen, will have to be thanked for this one. Gilding has been rather neglectful of this blog for a little while now; time just has not been on her side and Life won’t get the fuck off her back, the obnoxious little monkey! So thank you to all those readers who have faithfully thought of Gilding when she has been so absent. Now on to the fabulous!
Designed by London architect Julian Hakes, if you take a moments look at it, you’ll see exactly what it is–and it is brilliant!
Called Mojito, the design is a shoe–minus a footplate. The single piece wraps around the wearer’s foot and uses the natural design of the bridge of the foot to complete the balance of the shoe. The foot’s built-in strength from its form allowed Hakes to deconstruct the common shoe into its essential parts, support for the heel and ball of the foot. You can read the artist’s account of how she came to design the shoe on dezeen.
While the shoe is not in production yet, Hakes is currently in talks with specialist shoe fabricators for the initial prototypes. [Via: <a href= "http://www.dezeen.com/2009/09/23/mojito-shoe-by-julian-hakes/#more-41637" target= "_blank"dezeen]
Fashion Plus
Beth Ditto threw down a gauntlet of livid disdain at the fast-fashion chain, Topshop, when they approached the lead singer of the punk band Gossip, with an offer to perform at its flagship store in London. Blowups of her heart-shaped face and happily flaunted rotund form would be on display — in a store that doesn’t sell clothes that someone her size (or a few degrees difference in either direction) could wear. Ditto herself said, “I don’t think it’s fair to put my face somewhere where they would never let me in there to wear their clothes,” in a blog. She further wrote that if the chain wanted to capitalize on her star power, then why did it not offer her the same status it does Kate Moss and let her create a “big girl” line for Topshop.
When word of Ditto’s demand reached Arcadia Group, the parent company of Topshop, her sound off prompted a partnership that, after a couple of years, has resulted in Arcadia’s plan to unveil a collection that Beth Ditto has designed herself for Evan — the company’s plus size division.
Now, this is Gilding’s issue with this. The company may have placated the punk singer with giving her a designing gig to create a plus size line of clothing, but that hardly addresses the issue that Arcadia, and other such chain stores, creates whole stores dedicated to separating the masses of the skinny girls from the fat ones — and by fat, Gilding means that as a relative term, since the fashion industry generally equivocates healthy with obesity.
Ditto’s collection is the latest in the outpouring of fashions aimed at trend-driven, but otherwise considered full-figured teenagers and young women. A population which has begun to echo Ditto’s complaints of being an ignored entity by most merchants and brands.
But how is segregating the two-fold size wearing consumer by creating whole stores of their size addressing the larger issue at hand — that is, the subliminald message that to be larger than a size 5 is somehow wrong and less desirable and therefore worthy of a store built second to the trendy skinny store.
Good grief, this rant could go on forever. For now, Gilding supposes, we’ll celebrate the little achievements.
Synonomously Loathsome’s Antonym
Gilding hates to admit it, but she loves the bold audacity of this child. Her sense of adventure and her genuine demeanor makes swallowing the fact that this child lives in a world that makes more money in an hour than Gilding does in a year and that she then spends it on designer clothing, shoes, and accessories with names Gilding has to sound out in syllables complete with syllabic clapping, a pleasant horse pill to choke on.
By now Gilding is sure that anyone with half an interest in fashion knows of her, but trolling through the Sea of Shoes blog today and its author, Jane Aldridge (daughter of designer Judy Aldridge), snappy fashion and quirky good looks has left Gilding feeling a bit inspired about a new wardrobe.
So guilty a pleasure as it may be, Gilding has to say, she Hearts Sea of Shoes.
I Heart
…these images in Vogue Italia’s June 2009 editorial “NEO-Romantic” from photographer Emma Summerton. Via FASHIONINDIE. The models features in this series are Imogen MOrris Clarke and Abbey-Lee Kershaw.
And this editorial series, “The Vampire Nun,” by photographer Baldovino Barani in the June/July 2009 issue of Oyster Via High School Archetypes on the LiVEJOURNAL community foto decadent.
House of Chanel’s Sinister Fashion Soft-core of Lagerfeld Confection
OoooKaaay…this is a fashion WTF moment. A fan of Karl Lagerfeld’s clothes but never of his attitude, and both a lover of the photographic beauty of his ads but hater of his hateful and subjegated portrayal of women, Lagerfeld has really just be-fucking-fuddled Gilding with this tidbit of fashion soft-core porn.
Now, as if the foul language and questionable content often put on this blog weren’t enough of an indication that Gilding is no prude, then lets get that tidbit out of the way now and never let it be said that Gilding didn’t warn you that she’s no prude, in fact, she can be down right raunchy. But there is something just sooooo wrong with this film created by Lagerfeld for the house of Chanel and featuring model Lara Stone. Maybe its just knowing what Lagerfeld looks like that does it for Gilding, for it is admittable that if Steven Meisel had shot it, while it would still be on the creep-factor side, it probably wouldn’t ick Gilding out so much. But what really drives that creep-factor home is Lagerfeld’s sinister and just down-right disturbing voice of his in the background giving Stone and her companion model direction.
Oh, and it can’t help but be noted that the “film” has no basis to it other than to have the models parade around in admittedly gorgeous clothing, act snide and snotty and, well, spoiled, and make-out with one another. Ok…that part’s kinda hot, but not enough so to sway Gilding into liking it…Those clothes really were gorgeous though…
Oh, and between being creeped out, check out the guys trench. That is one badass jacket. Marvelous even, simply marvelous.
[Via FashionIndie
Fashionable Social Networking on the WWW
Cut & Paste, photo by Tim Walker, for Vogue Nippon, December 2006.
Imagine if Facebook and Polyvore became one — the world is about to end in a hailstorm of hot fashion and trendy shoes. For Vogue, this is quite possibly the only kind of social networking site that’s worth its weight in finger tapped weary keyboards. ClosetCouture.com is the new hot spot for fashion information, allowing members to map out what to wear from their own closets — and those we wish were ours — in a digital dressing room. Members can also make packing lists, solicit fashion advice from friends, and hire professional stylists for everything from simple tips to all-out-overhauls. Chat, shop, browse — the site turns wearing, pairing, and buying into one HUGE group activity.
And while you can upload any ole’ image of that to die for fashion piece that you’re most likely going to have to pull a Winona to afford, the true usefulness of the site is the uploading of your personal closet items, from clothes to shoes to jewelry to bags — hell, if you have wigs, throw those in too. Though it may be tedious to do in the beginning — shooting each individual item before a white backdrop, transferring the images to your computer and using the handy-dandy uploader on the site to fill your virtual closet — the actual process is quite simple and the fashion-conscious conversation to be had is worth the little bit of tedium. You DIY people will love the hell out of it in fact. Well, and the chronically OCD too.
Not only do friends — both known and unknown — make outfit pairings for you and rate the pairingd you yourself have made, the fashion-social-networking vibe of the site will have people from all over sending you pairings of outfits they think you will like — sometimes based on the vibe they get from your personal collection, some from your profile, some for the hell of it. You can, of course, turn away these friend requests and their subsequent suggestions, but overall the mission of the site is to encourage, see fashion through new eyes, and, quite possibly, inspire some fashion adventurism. And since its free, there’s no reason not to give it a try.
Oh, and you don’t have to give Facebook up entirely. There’s a link option for you to be able to share your creations with your Facebook and Myspace friends, twitter, and email.
Classic Shapes in Fashionista Lines
Think of that favorite soft wool or cotton sweater of yours that just screams wear me, cuddle me, take out for unabashed gluttonous attention of the fashionista ilk. And now imagine all that fashionable gorgenousness under your ass. What!? It’s only logical that at some point we are to pamper our derriere the same way we do our bust. It is but our best friend in times of lazing about and our worst enemy when those times of indulgent laziness have stacked onto — in abundant proportions — those things called legs.
Desinger Fredrik Färg has taken on with his new furniture pieces the social responsibility of going green with that of fashion inspired design and created reupholstered chairs that are beautifully reminiscint of their old forms and now wear a form that is oddly familiar in many of the fashion industries favorite coat and sweater designs of late.
Removing the backrest of thrift store found chairs, Färg replaces it with a new textile dress-like structure made of moldable, 100% recyclable, polyester felt. The pieces are a refletion of the beauty and timeless lines and shapes of both fashion and furniture design.
Via re-nest
Stamp Me, Brand Me, Doggy Bag Me
Ahahahahaa…are you both annoyed and at the same time insanely and narcissistically jealous at Paris Hilton’s penchant for creating ridiculous and irksome fads; such as carrying dog’s in her purse. Ok, so that was a habit of socialite alite for some time, but it serves notice that big designers really began making whole seasonal lines of bags dedicated to this one purpose around the same time that Paris decided she couldn’t live without her muts. Frankly the only star that should be allowed to carry their dog out in public in such annoying fashion is Pink — and that’s because she named her dog Fucker and that’s just friggin hilarious! Had children not been present during Hamtardo’s naming ceremony, she may very well have suffered the same fate.
Then comes artist Meryl Smith’s interpretation of the doggy bag. A couple of days ago, Mr. Gilding sent Gilding a pic of this but there was no information attached — which meant, as with most random stuff he sends her, she has to do a bit of research…and on that note, she’s been sitting on it. So in a spark of bored inspiration this morning she went about searching for this Louis Vuitton Doggy Bag, which took longer than it should, but one supposes that would be because she kept looking for a pig and kept coming up with Wim Delvoye’s Louis Vuitton tatted up pigs. Don’t ask Gilding why she thought it was a pig — it so obviously doesn’t look like a pig — but in her head it was a pig, and we all know what sick and warped dark places lurk in dark recesses of her mind, so don’t go there.
Anyhoo, entitled “Excess Baggage”, Smith’s bag was the outcome of her creative spontaneity when she was asked by Honey Space in New York to create a sculpture for an exhibition whose dimensions were suited to hold international carry-on luggage. The piece is a hilarious social statement of our propensity for fadalistic label-whoring. Several blogs have bashed the artist for this creation, calling it everything from over-indulgent to childish, to “done before”, but perhaps that’s a bit of the message. Its hard to have an “original thought” in this world, and evry artist faces this. With advances in technology and the expansion of the world wide web, the once vast space of the the Earth is now covered by a few miliseconds of high speed internet. But perhaps its a collective thought; a prevailing message that in your creative mind’s eye is a new piece, but on a universal level shares a collective thought, reason, or concern that to some extent many share. Maybe if its been done before, that’s because we didn’t get it the first time, and each artist is simply seeking their way of getting our attention. Its not unfathomable to think that some just don’t get the message while other still never see it.
And with that said, Gilding wants one…ok, maybe two. I have a great pair of taupe flats that a nice buttery caramel color would go great with.
Images via Fashionphile
Your Color Palette is Showing
Creating color palettes from fashion photos. Just one more way to look like you’re working mad hard on your computer while actually staring at fashion.
Emma vs. Ellen
Completely loving this newest set from Ellen Von Unwerth, nympholept photographer extraordinaire. Everything about her photographs screams sexual tension and excitement, of youth and innocence and child seductress. They’re about frilly and dirty all at the same time; of the destruction of prim and proper and the revelry in it. Featured model in this set is Emma Watson and appeared in the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Vs. magazine.
And since all the image hosts that Gilding can find seem to think that these fully clothed images of Emma Watson are somehow indecent — and just in case they happen to be deleted when you view them and before Gilding has had the chance to correct them — the full series can be found here; Ellen Von Unwerth, compiled by William McFadden
The Betrayal
Dammit! Even the Easter Bunny is betraying us chocolate and marshmallow loving girls with stick thin models.
I’m Your Present
I’m Your Present makes Gilding feel like a very dirty little girl — though she’s not sure if its the thought of all the naughty little things she’d do to the chickie-poo, or the thought of all the naughty things she’d do wearing her fashions. It’s probably both.
Dresses, leggings, jumpsuits (aughhh…the jumpsuits, the cute, cute jumpsuits), to jewelry, designer Kelly Eident’s designs are cute and flirty, harkening to Lolita’s inner spirit of woman-child revelry. ..::Sigh::…now if only Gilding’s thighs would behave themselves enough to be acceptable to wear one of those jumpsuits out in public.
Baby Animal Print Playsuit from I’m Your Present on Etsy
Bunny Print Rufle Playsuit from I’m Your Present on Etsy
Heart Suspenders Skirt from I’m Your Present
Also visit I’m Your Present on her myspace to see more of her past and present designs.
Why Wear When You Can Renta Bitch
Diane Von Furstenberg, Badgley Mischka, Christian Lacroix, Elie Tahari, Tuleh and Oscar de la Renta – sketches for Michelle Obama’s Inaugural Ball appearance. Via: Fashionbride
Ooooo…Gilding is going to go to town on this one.
So, while the world is in chaos, the economy in America is still dismal and the global economy is in no better shape, and while President Obama spent last week speaking with world leaders and the G-20 in the hopes that soft diplomacy may take our foothold into a path of recovery, fashion designer Oscar de la Renta decided that fashion was also a key topic of issue.
Now while fashion is his business and little more ever seems to be at the tip of his concerns than that, it is to be expected, even if not necessarily shared. But his latest bit of bitchiness has struck a cord, at least for Gilding Sorry Oscar, but this bit is a little too bitchy to swallow.
Known as a true gentleman of the fashion industry, Oscar de la Renta has been a favorite of First Ladies since Nancy Reagan, wearing his fashions to all of the important First Lady events. This, however, has not proved true of new First Lady Michelle Obama, who has been wearing up-and-coming fashion designers that are lesser-known, the likes of Jason Wu, Thakoon, and Isabel Toledo. The First Lady wore Jason Wu at least three times during the European trip.
However, Oscar told Women’s Wear Daily that the First Lady should be wearing more clothes from established fashion houses rather than just up-an-coming designers and mass-market clothing from J.Crew.
Now here’s Gilding’s problem with Oscar’s bitch fest. Its not just the President that represents the people, its the First Family. A heafty responsibility to be sure and not necessarily fair, but its no different than royals being born into the position except that the people are the ones that put you there and therefore you act as the representation of that nations people as a whole. Relating to the people you serve is just as important as portraying an inspiring picture to them. Wearing J.Crew is but a simple demonstration that the first family comes from us and is among is.
As for wearing the fashions of up-and-coming designers. We all know Gilding’s feelings on capitalism — its a necessity to the economy but it doesn’t belong running the White House. Fashion houses are no more than better dressed capitalist companies. So that would make up-and-coming designers small business owners, exactly the people the First Family should be supporting — you know, that whole backbone of America thing.
Oscar stated that his overall issue isn’t necessarily the First Lady wearing J.Crew — stating that its America’s diversity that makes this country great, though this sounds like a cliche pleasing statement meant to soothe what he knows is going to piss off the majority of America that can’t afford him — but that he believes it is “wrong” of her to neglect other designers simply by staying in “one direction only.” WWD asks “where the love has gone for big name designers like Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren.” Bridget Foley writes that it would be a great boost to a fashion industry in economic crisis.
Sounds like someone’s just a bit pissy that their missing out on the White House shopping funds.
Link: Huffington Post | cele|bitchy
Echoing the Binding Experience of Women for Centuries
Not your typical book. Then again, its not your typical lingerie either.
Artist Tamar Stone, inspired by her own experiences, has chosen book weaving as the medium to capturing “the moments in women’s lives when issues of appearance, self esteem and assimilation become paramount due to physical restrictions placed on the body…”
With such a powerful inspiration its no surprise that the bindings beared by women’s corsetry would find its way into her work. But even it could have expected to become the book itself. Her interest in body image — and through that corsets — came from a lifetime of forced binding as scoliosis forced her in her teens to wear a brace 23 hours out of the day. Again in her adult life she found herself once more corseted as a herniated disk forced back into constraints. It is throughout these years that she developed a sensitivity to “correction” and the need to fit in.
Wanting to tell the stories she was telling but needing them to become more 3-dimensional, not just text on paper but stories that were a part of the textile, Stone began embroidering the text into the fabric forcing the reader to interact intimately with the book and the stories being told within.
Having to take time to unlace the ties, undo the buckles, all in order to read the text, is a part of the contemplation and therapy of the process; echoing the binding experience women for a century of dressing and undressing have been experiencing.
As for the texts themselves, they come from a variety of sources from behavioral manuals of the 19th and 20th century, which describe prescriptions of public and private conduct, as well as personal narratives of women who have lived with these physical constraints.
“To Make Her Look Her Best Vol. 1“
“Society’s Corset: Hints to a Fashionable Lady“
“Health, Strength, Grace and Symmetry, Vol 2: Develop to the Highest Degree of Attainable Perfection“
