We Are Infinite

I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky at the end of 8th grade, around the same time I began this blog. I started this website for many, many reasons, one of them being that I needed somewhere to throw my obsessive thoughts and make my preoccupation with fashion real, and the internet seemed like the prime place to do that. This book and blogging were the two things that returned me to my natural human state (to an extent. I have a theory that I was secretly born as an old-man-puppy-fish, and that doesn't sound too natural to me) when I was strugglin' so hard. I read it once and fell in love. I read it again at the beginning of my freshman year of high school because Charlie began high school in 1991, and I was starting in 2011, so I read each of his letters on the same date in real life. Since that made no sense, let me clarify: if he wrote a letter on November 9th, I read it on November 9th. It was so weird how events in each of our lives occurred at the same time, twenty years apart. ...Even though Charlie is not real. When I found out that they were making this fuqin' amazeballs book into a film starring Emma Watson, aka the absolute love of my life, I had a major mini heart attack. 

The '90s is (are?) easily one of my favorite decades culturally, musically, and sartorially (followed closely by the '60s and '20s), so I was mega pumped for the costumes, props, sets, and soundtrack for the movie. They didn't disappoint. If you combined Sam's (Emma Watson) and Mary Elizabeth's (Mae Whitman) clothing, that would be an accurate representation of how I try/want to dress every day of my life forever. It's like a funky mix between grungy '90s lumberjack casual style and a gypsy witch that has a fascination with stick-on jewels, sweaters and their multitudinous variations (ie, poncho), bizarre skin adornments, and copious ear piercings. Das me! 

Hopefully you can feel the ridiculous amounts of spiritual/sartorial inspiration emanating from the following pictures, because if you do that means we are brain siblings. 

[Photos via imdb.com and google.com.]

Sam's room + Charlie's suit + typewriter = this is what I want most in life. I'm actually on the hunt (a quest, if you will) for a typewriter and a cheap tie, so if you see either one, let me know.

Patrick (Ezra Miller) is not even human, I swear. And then there's Mary Elizabeth (bottom left), being a total badass. 

This was easily one of the best scenes in the whole movie. They are at a school dance when all of a sudden a good song comes on, and Patrick and Sam are like, "Living room routine. Right now." So they shove their way to the center and just start dancing like maniacs. It is amazing.

Mary Elizabeth!!!!! Wearing red!!!!!!!!!! My favorite color!!!!!!! 

Emma as Sam as Janet. 

I want Sam's jacket and her hair, and Patrick's face to stay like that forever. 

If you have not read this book, drop everything and read it right now. If you haven't seen this movie, don't drop everything, but go see it anyway. That's enough unauthorized book promotion for today. 

One last thing: I made a playlist out of the mixtape Charlie made for Patrick for Secret Santa so you guys can fully immerse yourselves in the world of the book.

Have a jolly Sunday! 

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The Transitive Property (Lela Rose Spring 2013)

Lela Rose's runway show took place on Sunday, September 9th, at 11 am. Bright and early. Delightful. I took my seat and began perusing the front row from afar. When I spotted a perfectly coifed top knot and a set of familiar cheekbones, I asked the woman sitting next to me if that was in fact Lauren Conrad seated over there. My hunch was confirmed. As much as I hate to admit it, my sister and I did watch "The Hills" more than a few times at a suspiciously young age. 

Enough about LC and her California gurls. Onto the fashion show. As I mentioned in my video a few weeks ago, I didn't think that Lela Rose's collection was particularly visually cohesive. However, that is because it was based on "the frailty of the human experience." Wowza. Not to go all philosophical on you guys (don't get me wrong, I love going all philosophical; it happens at the most inopportune moments, actually. Or are they really the most opportune moments??? Whoaaaa), but life is not cohesive, so by my trusty friend--and the only useful piece of information I got out of my freshman geometry class--the transitive property, neither is Lela Rose's Spring 2013 collection. In the designer's defense, the collection makes a lot of sense conceptually. She was inspired by the work of the artist Jim Hodges, whose pieces references nature a lot, often in the forms of flowers and webs. Lela translated that into fabrics and prints, incorporating floral patterns, lace, and metal chains into her S/S '13 show. She used Hodges' entire oeuvre as inspiration for the collection, which resulted in a bit of a mish-mosh of ideas that didn't really seem to string together too well. There was camouflage and tweed and lace and lots of bright colors and metal(lic) accents...oh my! It may have been a better idea to just zero in on a few aspects of the artist's work, but perhaps if she had the collection would not have been as large, nor would the pieces be as sellable as they indisputably are. 

Below you shall find the best photos of the bunch from this show. 

[Photos by me.]

Highly constructed pieces and emphasized seams make for an interesting contrast.

Orange, why do you keep showing up season after season? Are ya done yet?

Isabella Melo. Mere feet from my body. Wut. Also neon t-shirts paired with coral skirt-jacket ensembles. Wut.

So content. Whatchu lookin' at, grl? 

Bam. Visual assault, in the best way possible. 

The Man Repeller would be proud of this dress.

Spidery and spindly, reminiscent of this piece by ol' Hodges.

...But like somedays, when I get like a crumb of food, that's a good day, so is this one.

Lacey-lace and lavender. Alliteration rox my sox.

The metallics I mentioned before. 

Also, the model definitely experienced a UFO sighting at this moment. That is the only explanation for such an intense glare. 

Isabella Melo, part 2. 

Laurenzo Conrad! All bedazzled and stuff. That man interviewing her shoved me a lot in an effort to get to Lauren first. We can call him Gopher Man. Don't look so serious, Gopher Man. 

Sorry for sporadic posting, ballroom dancing got in the way. Once. That's right, you heard it from me, I am taking a few ballroom dance lessons with my mother and two foreign instructors. High school auctions are the absolute best.

Would you all be devastated if I didn't do Fall/Winter 2012 trend reports? I know, I know, I just think I missed the deadline; I would be starting far too late for it to be of any help. I'll do the Spring ones instead, and I'll do Fall instead of Pre-Fall over the summer! Yay for compromises! I'll do a few of the good ones for this season, of course, because we can't pretend that the trends don't exist.

Have a mighty fine weekend, friends. Go see "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" because it's amazeballs. Expect a post on that soon, that's how much I love it. (It got almost 8 stars on IMDb! Good Will Hunting got only three-tenths of a star more. That is how awesome this movie is. Plus the author (Stephen Chbosky) wrote the screenplay, so you just know that nothing could go wrong. Except for that they left out the poem Charlie gave to Patrick, but after contemplating it for a while I forgive Chbosky.)

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People in the Plaza: NYFW Street Style Returns

I think I have thoroughly exhausted the topic of street style through verbal expression, but that doesn't mean I don't have plenty to say visually. 

Sorry for the lack of text today, although you're probably relieved because yesterday's clump of words was hefty. 

Just checkin' out the scene on a scooter. I'm not usually a fan of leggings, but I thought this girl was just 2 kyoot. 

Talk about hardcore, amiright? They were actually super duper nice people. 

Class and sophistication at its height. Advanced Style needs to get on this.

Round sunglasses, a Givenchy shirt, and a mustache necklace. It doesn't get cooler than that.

It takes an awesome man to rock a printed gown.

Remember her?

Stacey Belko of Devorelebeaumonstre, one of my absolute favorite bloggahs evar. 

The groovy pants of Helene from Bon Vivant and a Budget. 

A handmade headpiece on Sarah Goodwin of Sarahg2747.

Aimee Song from Song of Style. Those reflective lenses are mind-boggling. I can see her, but can she see me?

Geneva of A Pair & A Spare. She was so so sweet and so so Australian.

Literally what. 

Minimalism meets street wear. 

Classic: they weren't posing for me.

If I dressed like her when I was that age, life would've been gooood.

There's still more street style pitchahz on this blog's Facebook page, so you should check 'em out.

And so the week begins again...welcome back.

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Mermaids and Metamorphosis (Katya Leonovich Spring 2013)

I went to Katya Leonovich's Fashion Week presentation last February when she was showing in the Box at Lincoln Center. Box shows are generally for the designers who can't budget a full-blown runway show but can still present their collection to the public. It's always a humongo deal when a designer graduates to runway level. When I got the invitation for Katya's show that said that it would be at the Studio (a runway venue) and that I had a seat, fists went in the air and thumbs went with them. 

Before I continue with the runway recap, let me tell you a story. After the show ended, I was just sort of standing around for a minute; I had missed any pre-show mingle time on account of my tardiness and was lamely attempting to spot anyone interesting, when I had an idea. "Maybe I could get backstage," I thought. It was spontaneous and insane, and sounded totally feasible at that moment. I went towards the runway entrance and just sort of walked in. Sure, there was a guard, but he wasn't checking credentials and was too busy hugging his friend to notice little ol' me. I entered the chaos of editors, freelancers, production team members, and helpers milling about. As I was fumbling around in my bag for my notebook and a pen, I spotted a familiar face. "Caroline? What are you doing here?" I rushed over to greet Caroline Levy, who you all may remember from when we discussed how much I want her closet. She was equally shocked to see me there. It turns out she knows someone who was able let her work backstage at the show, and I was there because...I was there. Not quite sure how to explain that one to people reading my blog. I made my way over to the crowd of people huddled around Katya and started jotting down questions I wanted to ask her. A man wearing a black t-shirt and a headset came over to me and claimed he remembered me from the day before. I was a little (read: completely) out of it, so I wasn't sure if I was who he thought I was, but he knew my blog's name and that my name starts with an O. "You can talk to the designer just as soon as these guys finish up," he said, gesturing to two men conducting an interview with her. I thanked him profusely and stood there while Caroline and her friends watched from afar. The man with the headset introduced me to Katya and I told her that I had attended her show last season. I almost had a heart attack when she said she remembered me. I mean, I had talked to her for about two seconds, but that was six months ago! The fact that she knew who I was fueled me to try and give a freakin' awesome interview. She answered all of my questions without seeming like I was wasting her time. She really wanted me to know the backstory to the collection, which speaks to her dedication to her craft as well as her customers. I didn't have a tape recorder or anything because it was such a spur of the moment thing, so there won't be a word-for-word interview, but I did gain some insight about the collection. 

My first question was, of course, what Katya's inspiration was for the collection. She said that it was about a metamorphosis; her girl would go from being a mermaid to a flower, for example. Her ideas came from nature and the female human body. She focused on how nature changes and forms while also thinking about how a woman's body is a part of nature and what it means to be conscious of the natural world on that level. The constructed corset-bustiers referenced the idea of structure that occurs naturally, and peek-a-boo cut-outs toyed with the boundaries of the body--that is to say, it's seen almost as an obstacle, and the challenge is to expose its beauty without revealing too much. The flowing chiffon in blues and greens (that also popped up at Son Jung Wan) clearly were in reference to what the designer had mentioned about mermaids and flowers. The natural cycle and movement of life was shown through the breezy fabrics. The prints on the dresses seemed so one-of-a-kind that I had to ask her if she had created them herself, a suspicion she confirmed was true. It turns out that she has a history of painting and used have her work up in exhibits and galleries. When asked where she finds inspiration most often or easily, she quickly responded that painting and art are her everyday muses. Katya also travels, which gives her new perspectives on culture and fashion as it is interpreted differently all over the globe. There are two finale gowns that I hadn't seen from the front because of the location of my seat, but if I had seen them I definitely would've asked about them. They were laser cut leather dresses with Mitt Romney and Barack Obama's faces hand painted onto them. Political fashion is the best thing I've ever heard of. 

[Photos by me.]

Top knots are now runway ready.

Structured bustiers that resemble mermaid's tails.

From the back...

...And now from the front.

Bowm-chicka-wah-woaw. 

Metallic fabrics are a spring trend, I'm tellin' ya now. Mark my words. 

The headbands were totally rad. They're like sparkle friends on your scalp.

That top just looks so luscious. 

Gypsy mermaid?

The presidential candidates. 

Major snaps for Katya for creating an awesome Spring 2013 collection.

More to come on NYFW as everyone else moves on to Milan.

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The Oceanic Nymphs of Son Jung Wan

I know, I know, I'm really far behind on the whole New York Fashion Week recap thing. I realize that everyone has breezed through London and are in the middle of conquering Milan, but I'm still in New York. Both physically and mentally. I haven't seen any of the collections or looked at any street style photos. That's what eight and a half hours of school every day will do to ya. 

Son Jung Wan was the first runway show that I attended this season. There was a tornado watch in effect in my neighborhood at the time I was supposed to leave my house to go to the show. Of course. I spent the whole commute hyperventilating about being late, but also because I could barely breathe. The subways in the city suck royal hippogriff when it rains, and no one on the MTA has figured out that when it's hot, the air conditioners should be on, and not in the middle of the winter. So I was kind of melting in my poncho and black long-sleeve shirt. 

There were no show notes besides the ones that listed the looks, so the inspiration for the collection is unknown. However, the designer must have been feeling some good vibes from the ocean, because there was a lot of blue and green chiffon-y dresses, as well as lots of sheer detailing with lacy accents and large poufs of tulle (sea foam reference, maybe?). Yellow (sunshine) and coral (...coral) shades were used throughout the collection, plus oodles and noodles of white. The overall feel was a bit surreal (rhymez!), what with the clumps of thin braids intertwined in odd configurations on the backs of the models' heads and all of the flowing fabrics. Check it out fo' yo'self below. 

[Photos by me.]

Like ocean waves made of sunshine and love. 

High collars are the only type of collars worth wearing. 

Greek goddess goes ombré. 

Chanel signature tweed jackets: now in potato sack silhouettes. 

Whoa.

Yeah, she's not a human. No one's skin actually glows like that. 

The bluish-green splatter prints are quite a bit of fun. 

Dresses that could've been just an inch or so longer: this one.

I think crochet is resurfacing as a trend this season, along with metallics. That cross-boob stripe of reflective-shattered-glass-tape is spot on-trend.

I guess Son Jung Wan is not ready to give up the mullet hemline just yet.

O-pen backs! O-pen backs! Also, those pants are so Rebecca Minkoff Spring 2013. 

The last model, peacin' out.

P.S. Brookie Shields and her lil' kiddies were sitting front row. She looked and acted surprisingly normally and not like, "HEY GUYS I'M BROOKE FUQIN SHIELDS LOOK AT ME!" It was really awesome. I've heard from some inside sources that she's actually a very nice person. Ten points for Brooke. 

Have a happy weekend full of museum-going and art-making and writing and reading Rookie mag and lots of other great stuff. Lots of apples, too. Make sure you include those. 

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