Imperial Nights

Here are the photos from the Jean Paul Gaultier Couture shoot for Nomenus Quarterly back in December. The intricate details and electric colors of the garments combined with the intergalactic-empress hair styling and haunting make-up creates a shadowy portrait of a dark, post-modern nobility.

Daylight Savings

The latest photoshoot I assisted on was for the Spring '09 issue of a new art and fashion publication called Joy Quarterly. The magazine is only on it's third issue so it is still a little raw.

Personally I like art, and of course, I love fashion. I don't mind reading about both in the same publication. I think fashion can be thought-provoking and can be analyzed just as readily as art. Some may say—and I will agree—that it is a form of art. Sure maybe it's not as deep as art in the more traditional sense, but it can be just as much of an indicator of a person's internal workings as well as the social, political, and as our generation is learning firsthand—perhaps for the first time—the economic climate. My one minor complaint is when any artform is so over-intellectualized that it's intrinsic expression of emotion and the provokation of inspiration is hindered.

With that said, here are the photos from the shoot that I think are just artsy and moody enough to be beautiful, without taking the fun out of it. The clothing was provided by French designer Ann Valérie Hash and T by Alexander Wang, hosiery by Wolford and Fogal a little fancy footwork by Capezio.

Your 15 Minutes Are Up...

A few weeks ago I was running around going to showrooms in Soho when I was stopped on the street by a man with a big, I-ain't-no-tourist, professional-grade camera. He politely introduced himself and asked to take my photo, explaining that he was the photoblogger for trend research company StyleSight's blog StyleSightings. Under normal circumstances I would have said no, but I was in a good mood and obliged. So here's my 15 minutes, Andy Warhol. Can you spot me?

It's a Wonderful Life

Photos are up on the Wonderland Magazine website from the shoot I assisted on last October. Check it out.

Recession Digression

With all of the focus design houses are putting on publicly presenting the "new" seasons of pre-fall and resort, one would think that showing collections to be released so far in the future—before the upcoming season's collections are even available on store shelves—would not be the smartest move in this economy. If we are suppose to covet pieces before they are available for purchase, and in addition be able to see even further into the fashion crystal ball, wouldn't that be a deterrent for consumers to invest in purchases that may not hold weight for seasons to come? Just curious. I think the industry is getting too ahead of itself with the competitive marketing ploys that they are making us move on to the next thing before we can even buy this season's "It". I guess that is the best recession plan I can possibly adhere to. I'm over it before I can buy it. At least as far as the trend-oriented pieces go. But the classic pieces will always remain, well, classic.

Case in point, witness Exhibit A, Alexander Wang's newly released Pre-Fall 2009 presentation:







Versus his Spring 2009 collection, shown last September:






Sure there are some common, uh, threads, but the whole feeling if very different. The silhouettes and essence that makes each collection distinct are not cohesive. The same can be said for other designers' collections. For me it's a mood as much as a piece-by-piece basis that sells a designer, but with the industry leaning towards schizophrenic intentions to create new looks and statement pieces, it's all beginning to get lost in translation. In a time when fashion needs to inspire and offer creative refuge from the economic crisis, it is becoming more blatantly about commerce than art—and soul of the medium in terms of playing to emotion and aspiration loses it's heart.

As much as I love seeing all the new fashions, I think there is a certain need for designers (or rather, the major conglomerations that own them) to take a cue from all the media over-exposure (and subsequent loss of positive public interest) affecting the careers of tarty starlets like Britney and Lindsey, and leave more to the imagination.

The Hair Up There

So I have let way too much time pass between this photoshoot and my post. I really do not have much to say about it anymore as the holiday coma has wiped away most remnants of my memory pre-2009. I've posted the photos regardless as it was a pretty amazing shoot. I promise to be more diligent. Enjoy!








Jean Paul Gaultier Couture Fall/Winter 2008
Nomenus Quarterly volume number 6, available online and as a limited edition print publication
Photographer Erik Madigan Heck
Phenomenally space-age priestess hair by Ashley Javier
Jewelry by Fallon and LowLuv by Erin Wasson
Footwear by Manolo Blahnik for Jean Paul Gautier Couture

Puddle Jumper

I thought my leather boots that were able to withstand California rain would be sufficient for trekking around NYC, but I quickly learned otherwise. I guess didn't really stop to contemplate that I would actually be out walking in the rain, not splashing through rain-soaked streets in my SUV. After ruining two pairs of good boots I have sucked it up and have resolved to buy some official rain boots.

Of course, I wouldn't dream of going for anything other than the classic, and so began my search for the best priced Hunter Wellingtons on the Internet (dammit, they are pretty much $115 across the board—so much for competitive pricing). Naturally, when looking for a deal I have a tendency to do the exact opposite and fall in love with the most expensive version available. Once again my delusion did not fail me. Low and behold the latest brand collaboration: Jimmy Choo for Hunter Wellington. Luckily they are not available until next June so I can thank urgent necessity for helping me avoid the $395 price tag. But in case anyone is interested in giving me a present in June for no reason at all, they will be sold at the Jimmy Choo stores and website.

The Not So Tony Tigress

I'm sorry, but wait, am I crazy or is that a tiger fur coat Erin Wasson was wearing at Louis Vuitton's Stephen Sprouse party last Thursday? It's hard to tell from the picture if it is faux. I am very conflicted here. It is really insane, but if it's real it's super, super messed up. Puh-lease.

Short but Sweet

So the holidays were a little too jovial and I forgot or got too lazy to post about the last two shoots I assisted on before the break. One was for S magazine, a racy Danish fashion publication. The look was sexy but sweet, pushing the line of decency not blatantly exceeding it. Most of the set was closed in fact to only the stylist and the photographer due to some nudity. Which explains why I am only posting one photo here. The model was a little concerned about the nudity and was assured by the photographer that it would be minimal, tasteful and mostly obscured by lighting/intentional shadows. We pulled so much great stuff for this shoot, but as I am learning, most of it got the cut. In fact, only some of the smallest pieces, in the truest essence of the phrase, were utilized. One of my favorite looks is the one shown here. The white silk tuxedo jacket is from a new brand called Duskin. They also make these great, well-cut super soft cotton tanks and tees in the same vein as Alexander Wang and The Row, but I'm assuming at a much lower cost. Definitely about to become a new staple in my wardrobe. Trying to swing a few samples... We also got a bunch of big, bulky silver cuffs from LowLuv by Erin Wasson. While they do work well for editorial, I am not too impressed and cannot imagine wearing one of the pieces for more than an hour or two given they are heavy as hell. For one shot we piled a few on one of the models arms and her discomfort was more than apparent although she opted to be a good sport about it.

A notable part about the shoot was the location. It was in the huge, industrial penthouse loft in a region that could be considered the northern netherlands of Chelsea. The space was shared with this a small design studio specializing in leather and fur pieces that could only be made with the 80s era "rock star" in mind. Or possibly someone going to burning man? Clustered in a corner of the studio were racks upon racks of concoctions that irked me both ethically and aesthetically. Other than that the loft was a totally open layout with a very home-y feel. I didn't think much about the bed in the middle of the space or the fully stocked kitchen until I returned after the shoot to retrieve something that had been left behind. To my slight shock there was a middle aged bohemian couple in their pajamas making breakfast in kitchen. I then realized they probably lived there and rented out the space during the day for photoshoots. And a good thing too as I'm not sure how fortuitous their other business could be...