Feigned Perfection

Heroes

2013-03-11T09:30:00.000-04:00

Hey Good Looking!

Almost an entire year has passed since I got to spend some live action time with my good friend Angie Johnson. She very kindly hosted my roommate and I on our first (and hopefully not last) trip to Montreal, Canada! I met Angie (like I have many of my close friends), through my soul-layering-sister Susie I believe during a party in the FW11 (10?) shows. She's a talented and genuinely beautiful person inside and out, which is reflected in the company she founded and runs, Norwegian Wood.

A true modern woman, she is part of the new breed of internet entrepreneurs who are injecting some sorely needed personality, in an industry lacking it. What I find most admirable is her sense that personality in fashion should not come with an insane price tag (high end designers) whilst still respecting the values of the suppliers and manufacturers who make her dream a reality (unlike ummm... almost everyone?). Her Etsy store has been a well-documented success story, which in a world of corporate fashion and outsourcing is incredibly refreshing. I decided to send her a few questions to dig a little deeper:

1. You're an inspiration as someone who decided to own their own work. What was the catalyst for becoming an entrepreneur, in a world full of mega-corporations?

Well, I feel like growing up in a small town, from a young age I was surrounded by a lot of small businesses and very few corporations. It just didn't seem that crazy to have your own small business, which in the end was how things were EVERYWHERE 100 or so years ago, right? It's only been in the last 100 years that the idea of working for yourself became "crazy". So I guess I grew up with the idea that it wasn't such a big deal, and it just grew from there. I started my first business at age 16 when my mom said "hey you really have too many clothes, you should start selling some of the clothing you make, you wouldn't have to babysit so much then" and I haven't really stopped since then. I definitely had a stint (8 years I guess) working for larger companies, but that was an incredible and invaluable time, I learned a lot, which enabled me to run my own business in a smart way.

2. How do you hope to impact the world with Norwegian Wood and what are the main values of the line?

Wow, so much pressure! I guess just by offering something special and a little out of the ordinary at a price point that many people can afford I'm hoping to encourage people to have a bit more fun with the way they dress. Keeping the price point affordable is important to me though. It would be very easy to slip into my own little world of super intricate handwork and technique, which would result in some pretty elaborate and fun clothing, but it would be so difficult to produce and make a living off of that it would not be sustainable as a business. The clothing would be so expensive, and then only people with a large disposable income would be able to enjoy it. And that's not really the point of what I'm trying to do. The main point of the line is really to offer slightly off-kilter options to the average person. Mainstream high-street fashion is so homogenized lately...or so it seems to me. The internet has made it easier for people to find new things, but it's also made trends more "worldwide" so we see these big overarching trends across many brands. As a small company I have the freedom to find my own balance of being on trend and being in my own little world.

3. Manufacturing locally in Montreal is a very admirable part of N. W. I love how small designers like yourself are having an impact on the remnants of the manufacturing industry of Montreal (the 3rd largest apparel manufacturing cities in North America?). What are some of the main challenges and what can designers in LA and New York learn from your experience?

The main challenges for me are:
- finding consistent, reliable and UNIQUE sources for my supplies (ie fabrics, trims, jewelry supplies, etc) This is an ongoing thing that is just part of the job I think. Sometimes I rest on my laurels too much and don't seek out new sources as much as I should though...that's a lesson for MYSELF!
- finding reliable and high quality manufacturing. I do a lot of the work myself in-house, however when I get a large order I definitely need help. I've found that building real relationships with my contractors is the key to success in this area. Treating them with respect, being willing to pay them a fair price for their work and not pushing for unreasonable deadlines. Basically just trying to make the experience a pleasant and professional one for everyone involved.

4. Montreal seems to have a big DIY culture and spirit of independence, I'm sure partly due to Quebec's stance of remaining staunchly francophone. As an English speaking entrepreneur has this culture influenced your line, both in terms of design and business decisions?

I think this is a mindset I already had deeply ingrained in my, again from growing up in a rural setting. I didn't have a lot of cultural/artistic resources available to me, so if I wanted to learn something or create something I had to figure it out myself. So I was on that path early on, and I think that's one of the things that DREW me to Montreal in the first place...a meeting of DIY values.

5. One of the main attractions of Etsy in a world of little transparency is the true and direct impact a buyer has on a seller. It feels so beautifully personal and quaint for the internet age. How do you envision websites like Etsy etc, to keep evolving into more and more personal shopping experiences? What would you like to see more from this medium?

Well, I'm just in love with Etsy, and I think they have done so many amazing things for small business, and as someone whose been selling on the site for over 4 years I really see how much they've evolved and grown over that time. I would love for them to bulk up our "profile" section a bit more (ie. adding blog/instagram/video capabilities), even though they DID just improve that section. I just think unless you're really familiar with Etsy you may not even see that the profile area exists. I wish some of those things were more apparent upon first glance.

6. What keeps you going and what is you're favourite thing about what you do?

What keeps me going is that I can't imagine doing anything else, and have felt that way since I was a kid. I just love creating things, and fabric (and now jewelry) seems to be the easiest path for me to express myself. My favorite thing about what I do now that I have my own company is being able to make all the decisions, from what colour palette I want to work with to what model I use in the shoot. I really hate being told what to do.

7. If you could take an inspiration trip anywhere, where would you go?

Probably Japan, since I've never been before...but only if you come with me Brandon!

Thank you Angie, I love you. I will look forward to our Japanese inspiration trip!

Images from Norwegian Woods new Spring/Summer 2013 collection

Vinyl Collared Workers UNITE!

2013-03-05T15:01:00.000-05:00

[Vintage peacoat, Vintage flannel, Vintage denim western skirt, Vintage pleated schoolgirl skirt (underneath), Norwegian Wood collars (x2), Nike Sky High x Liberty Dunks, Japanese lightning ghost tabi socks, Paul Smith shearling mittens, Beacons Closet sunglasses]

Wax and I shot this in Fort Greene Park, last year in the fall, evidence of the hurricane still very present. I edited the photos to seem more like they're from the 70's where Angie of Norwegian Wood got her inspiration for the Fall collection from. Vinyl sofa covers YES!

I had been dreaming of wearing Norwegian Wood for a lonnnnnng time and when I saw she had created the ideal, accessible accessory I went IN! The vinyl collar is the perfect combination of OTT almost Baroque trim and futuristic clear vinyl. What's more, Angie sent me two for even more layering potentialz! FTW!

Thanks Angie for the extra collar <3. Interview to come next week!

Virabhadrasana - Warrior Pose

2013-02-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

Hey You!

I'm afraid this will be a bit of a heavy post, but one I feel the need to extricate from myself. I have attempted to explain my reasons for wearing skirts in previous posts and found it difficult to articulate. It has taken some fairly horrifying news stories and editorials for me to come to a clearer understanding of this decision. Five days of the week for eight hours a day I wear a uniform (a very lovely expensive uniform thanks to a certain music lover (seriously the work playlist changes every couple of weeks and I think I fall in love with Hedi as a person with each new one)), the rest of that time I mostly feel comfortable in myself when I am wearing skirts and layering. Recently my good friend Izzy, asked if I had more skirts then pants, I honestly didn’t know… I have noticed that more often then not I wear skirts instead of pants. This is not because I dislike trousers, but it’s just what I instinctually (and sometimes groggily at 8am) gravitate towards. What with a heteronormative uniform and a conservative work neighbourhood (Midtown: yuck!), I sometimes feel at war and my clothing choices are my weapons. Upon realizing these feelings I was horrified… Of course I have worn skirts before I started my current job, but I had started to allow the environment around me to dictate, at least partially, what I wear.

However I am not sure why this is such a terrible circumstance. In my previous posts (skirting the issue) I described feeling that a male wearing a skirt is simply not a big issue and therefore not worth exploring. I still stand by this point. Working in a more conservative and touristy part of NYC, I understand that, whilst to me it is not a big deal, it is to others… I have previously discussed my viewpoint that gender is nothing more then a social construct. Unfortunately it is a construct with truly devastating consequences.

I was raised in a household of women, I have more close female friends then I have close male friends. Even when I was a young child in Hong Kong I played with the girls in my class and didn’t relate much to the boys. The girls played with toys whilst the boys rough-housed. Why anyone would rather fight than play with toys is beyond me, but apparently it came naturally to these kids. I was never raised to believe that violence was something to respect or a way to solve an issue, yet somehow to this very day, young children, I fear mostly males, are taught that we live in a “top dog” society rather than a society of liberty for all.

If we hypothetically leveled the playing field in the rearing of children and say that 10% of males and females are naturally violent we can explore societal reactions to these children. Being dominating and violent is considered a male trait, therefore children are taught to shun the female who is violent and praise the male. What this does is make being a physically dominating male something to aim towards in order to become more masculine. Consequently this 10% of violent males will, like a disease, cause more boys to behave this way. The opposite occurs with the girls where society will make that 10% shrink as the girls learn that it's not appropriate for them, not as people, but as females to behave this way.

In my experience as someone who has won a genetic lottery and was born into this world in a position of privilege, I have never felt powerful as an individual. I have always had my beliefs and convictions which I have steadfastly held onto and fought for (and even at times valiantly seceded when my beliefs were proven wrong), but until recently I had never realized the extent of what it means to be a sensitive male in a "mans world".

I would like to say that clearly not all men are domineering, violent and anti-women. There are many more allies in men for the fight for true gender equality then I believe first meets the eye. AND not all of them are people who identify as queer. Straight men are and have been opening their eyes to gender violence and authoritarianism too. This being said, I cannot say that I do not every single day: encounter men (and women who must have a sense of Stockholm Syndrome by supporting these men) who believe they have the right because of their natural born chromosomal makeup, to rule over the supposed weaker sex.

The media that we consume is almost always anti-feminist. Look at the microcosm of news culture in the United States. Almost every woman in order to be merely listened to by viewers and taken seriously by their coworkers has a full face of makeup, hair blown out, plastic surgery etc. Now look at the men, how much time in comparison are they spending on their outward appearance to "speak to the nation"? The simple fact is, men when arguing a point only have to fight on one front: that topics front. Women fight on two fronts: to be taken seriously by a masculine society and whatever it is they happen to being talking about. The more one opens their eyes to gender bias the more one can see it in the smallest details of society.

Whilst it is painful to admit we clearly do not live in a just society based on individuals true rights, at least we can teach children what society should be as well? This brings me to the article written by Rebecca Solnit recently in the Huffington Post.

“We have far more than 87,000 rapes in this country every year, but each of them is invariably portrayed as an isolated incident. We have dots so close they’re splatters melting into a stain, but hardly anyone connects them, or names that stain. In India they did. They said that this is a civil rights issue, it’s a human rights issue, it’s everyone’s problem, it’s not isolated, and it’s never going to be acceptable again. It has to change. It’s your job to change it, and mine, and ours.”

The article is full of startling figures and stories which I could (but will not), quote ad nausea. Please take the time to read it, it’s very well written and hopefully it will be eye opening to you. The reality that we live in: is one where there IS an underlying war on women. Of course not all men choose to participate but it is there and it is real. Gender on one hand is one of the most tricky social constructs we have created. It is more complicated because of the it is one of the largest categorical boxes society uses to describe a human being. Personally I have never identified as female, and although I may wear women's clothing, I am doing so as me, not as a male in women's clothing, not as a transvestite (although categorically speaking I must be), not as a drag queen but as me.

Since I can remember I have been concerned with injustice and fairness. Part of the reason why I feel comfortable wearing skirts and other non-heteronormative articles of clothing is because it is a weapon. I now understand this. The reactions I get from wearing a skirt, are in fact fantastic. By showing these items irrelevance to my gender, I expose the unimportance of gender. I may not have ever felt very powerful but I can say the first time I put on a skirt I felt empowered as a male.

As a white male in society, I automatically inherent a lot of privileges that far too many people do not have (identifying as a male who’s preference is members of the same sex of course takes away many of these…). Even if I believe this physical shell to be irrelevant to who I truly am, I can use myself as a vessel to stand up for those who cannot and to join this fight with my sisters. I do not believe anyone has the natural right to exert authority over a group of individuals. Women should not need to fight extra for survival because this global society treats them as inferior and objects.

[source: http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/dec/221212-Delhi-gangrape-Protests-turn-violent-as-police-resorts-to-tear-gas-baton-charge.htm]

What is so interesting about a skirt is that for many it is actually a symbol of rape culture. When someone is forced into a situation they have not consented to, authority figures blame the victim for what has happened to them. Why were you out late at night? Why were you drinking? Most of all a startling number of (often male) authority figures blame what a person wears for what has happened to them. A skirt is easy access, apparently nobody can blame a man for having un-consenting sex with a woman if she's wearing a skirt, particularly if it is short. Men can't apologize for their naturally violent urges, but women should apologize for their choice to wear a skirt, because you know, they aren't wearing chastity belts and being virginal maidens. Apparently women are not allowed to be sexual at all, in fact a woman has to apologize if she flirts with a male. Oh and her choice of clothing is apparently an act of flirtation for the world to perceive as fuck me?!

There are many reasons for doing many things, this is one of many reasons why I choose to wear the clothes that I do. We males cannot allow others of the same sex to continue believing that they have the right to control a woman; whether it is their bodies or their rights. I leave you with this image of the beautiful Jyoti Singh Pandey who was gang raped and assaulted at the end of the last year and sadly died of her horrific injuries. Her death should not be in vain, we need to stand up for those around us and never let this happen again. If we as a species cannot stand united even by the most basic divider as gender, how will we deal with even more difficult issues like climate change and the impending collapse of the health care system as antibiotics increasingly are losing their requisite effects.

Jyoti Singh Pandey 1989-2012

Love

B

PS: I realize how heavy this post is. I can never do this subject justice and I do hope to not offend anyone with its content. I believe that a dialogue must be opened, lack of communication is one of the main reasons why there is so much strife in the world and if my paltry voice (of white male privilege...) can open a single persons eyes then everything is worth it. This is very much a subject I am deeply concerned about and I truly do not mean any disrespect to women or victims of rape. Especially by discussing it alongside such a superficial subject as my choice to wear a skirt but to me these things are linked.

Dream Stratagem

2013-01-28T19:44:00.000-05:00

Hello Beautiful!

My dear and talented friend Amber Doe has been invited by the Arteles Creative Centre to be part of its March residency program! 2013 is definitely going to be her year to shine (or at least everyone else to see her bright star). I have known Amber for most of my New York life, meeting her just over four years ago. Amber has been an integral part in forming the way I see the world and how I react towards it. She's an incredibly talented artist who explores many issues I believe important to help evolve human thought: "gender, religion, identity, home, mysticism and the natural world."

Please check out her Indiegogo video and campaign, and have a listen to the Spotify playlist I made for her. Expect exciting things :)

Love

B

White

2012-12-27T10:30:00.000-05:00

[Yohji Yamamoto FW2009 Coat]

Hello Beautiful!

Remember a couple years ago when I went to London to see the Barbican’s Future Beauty Exhibit? Well, I'm still reeling from it. In the exhibition catalogue there is a wonderful excerpt from Kenya Hara’s “White”, an essay I put up last year “The Receptiveness of a Red Circle on a White Background”. After revisiting that essay a number of times I had to read Hara’s book. I finally purchased it over the summer and ended up reading it twice, the second time to take notes on what must be a standout exploration of the universal non-colour. As I’m sure you get at this point, my love for Japan, her culture, aesthetic expressions and staunch isolationism is very much an obsession for me. This little book of essays conceptualises white and what it means from a Japanese viewpoint to a stunning new level. I would like to apologise for my profuse quoting but the language of the book is far too beautiful not to share...

The book is divided into four impactful, bite-sized chapters. Firstly one must discover what white is. Hara drops one on us immediately “There is no such thing as “white.” Rather, “white” exists solely in our perception.” I mean? You know you’re in for a good read when the author of a book drills right through our initial pre-conceptions straight to our minds eye-centre. So Hara educates us that “white” is both all colours and no colours. It is the only “colour that can “escape colour”. In Hara’s eyes, colours form the basic information of life. Life that has so much intense colour, that overtime blends together to form a muddy brown chaos. This brown entropy is “filled with the energy of dazzling colour and will give birth to new colours once again.” Entropy stems from the Greek en - inside and trope- transformation. White, on the other hand, is information arising from this chaos. White is life’s palate cleanser. White is a temporal state awaiting to be tinged by the transformative power of life itself. White is the potential for content.

Hara takes us back in time to 8th century Japan where only four words were used to describe colour: akai - red (a state of brightness and energy); kuroi - black (the absence of light); shiroi - white (brilliance); and aoi - blue (an impression of obscurity). The idea of expressing an entire world with only four colour related words seems, in-elegant, but “people were able to express subtle differences in meaning and atmosphere contextually.” The Japanese language being one of the most complex and alien languages on the planet is also one of beautiful subtlety and range. Of course the language evolved to portray many more then those initial four words. Now, I’m sorry, but this is such a beautiful piece of writing I’m going to have to extract the whole paragraph for your reading pleasure:

“Just as a stalactite cave is formed through the accumulation of droplets that fall one by one in dizzying repetition over time, so mental images of the brilliance of nature or the changing world gradually accumulate to form the names of colours. Some things are lost and others transformed, but finally, without anyone being aware of it, colour becomes established as a grand system of consciousness.” Not to be a bro but, BOOM...

As a graphic designer Hara couldn’t possibly discuss the idea of “white” without mentioning the significance of its place as the prominent colour of paper. If Whiteness symbolizes life, than “the sheer act of holding a piece of white paper, so full of creative possibility, would bring about a surge of human imagination.” Paper is inherently a “creative catalyst” even down to its rectangular shape. Hara points out how rectangles don’t occur in nature. So holding something so alien as a rectangular object in a colour waiting to be stained, of course compels us to create something. “Paper is the materialised energy of Itoshiroshi”. The Japanese word for white is shiro a word stemming from shiroshi and eventually connecting with itoshiroshi and ichijirushi. “Ichijirushi is a clear and objective condition which manifests itself in the purity of light, the lucidity embodied in a drop of water or the force of a crashing waterfall.” Shiroshi “is the state of consciousness we enter when we focus on these things, when our senses seem to vibrate like the strings of a koto.” As paper is this concepts embodiment, no wonder its invention has sparked so much progress in human thought. It is a media that records and preserves intellectual and aesthetic achievement. Today I write to you via the Internet. With so much information cascading into this technological abyss; what will future generations learn from when the servers of the world crash and the last drops of oil are sucked from the planets surface?

[Hasegawa Tōhaku, Shōrin-zu byōbu (Left Side) (Japan, 1539-1610)]

Of course when ever I close my eyes and think about whiteness, I literally draw a blank. I imagine standing in an undefinable area surrounded by blinding brilliant white and nothing else. The most evocative chapter in Haras work is on Emptiness. Emptiness however does not mean valuelessness, rather it is a transitional state awaiting to be filled with information. Earlier on we looked at Haras concept of white emerging from chaos. Hasegawa Tohaku’s Pine Trees (Japan, 1539-1610) is the perfect expression of this idea in its exploration of empty space, along with the concept that white, emptiness, is actually information emerging from chaos. There is far more emptiness in the painting then there are brushstrokes, yet the painting evokes much more then nine or so trees it portrays. Each tree is actually rather abstract and lacking of details. In doing so the emptiness and the strokes blend in our imagination. A three dimensional reality in our minds emerges from the mist. The white provokes our minds to ‘fill in the blanks’, sort of speaking. And because our imaginations are not set in stone this landscape changes each time we view the image (I hasten to add I have yet to encounter it in person but I’m sure I will and if this changes upon viewing I shall update this paragraph). Therefore emptiness is used to evoke “the boundless floating world of the imagination.”

[Robert Mapplethorpe, Calla Lily (1984)]

Bringing Hara’s book forward to my reality in one of his final essays he discusses the act of defamiliarization. By meditating on a particular idea or object, one can defamiliarize themselves of its initial meaning. Hara uses the example of flower photography, in particular Robert Mapplethorpe's flower series where the object can become totally foreign to the viewer. This allows anyone to explore the mundane and everyday through this process. “The attempt to create ‘unfamiliar’ objects is the essence of creativity that leads us to understanding things in this world.” Going backwards to how I seem to have learned to express myself by taking familiar objects and using them in unfamiliar ways, Hara has allowed me to see I’m just trying to understand things in this world. I guess I naturally tend to explore gender, age, body image etc through dress, yet in this Yohji Yamamoto coat the designer explores the concept of Wabi Sabi (the aesthetic of transience) and white. I feel honoured to own and wear this walking piece of intellectual curiosity. One day I hope I can write as eloquently as Mr Hara-san but till then perhaps I can dress it.

Love and Happy Holidays!

B

PS: All photographs have been taken by my wonderful friend Wax of Pop, Bop and Snap. Thanks Wax!

Lyrical Experiences

2012-11-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

[Comme des Garcons tailcoat, Peter Pilotto cardigan, Thrifted flannel, Tamaryn band T, Mandy Coon sheer dress, Ivan Grundhal leather leggings, Nike Dunks] An homage to the thoughtful and ever inspiring Meagan .

Earlier this year I made up my mind to figure out what music meant to me. I don't recall what point I started consciously listening to it. I do remember my parents old Beatles records and pirouetting around the living room listening to their Classical music collection. In my teenage years I realized I couldn't hear music the same as my peers. I didn't know people were singing real words, which is odd (I have a feeling this is linked to dyslexia or dyspraxia but what do I know?)… I remember starting to listen to the London radio stations around 14/15 and finally found my groove with Jazz FMs late night chill sessions. As an insomniac: it was my perfect little escape. The first CD I bought was Zero 7s When It Falls followed by Airs Moon Safari. Ideal examples of my inability to hear song lyrics. I vividly remember attending concerts when I first moved to New York, never knowing what to do with myself or how to react. Music was an escape and an inconspicuous yet constant element in my life at that time, so being confronted with it live was more then a little bewildering. I had always needed music to drown out the world around me, providing a consistent ambient in an inconsistent world.

Whilst I may not have heard music in my teenage years with much lyrical clarity; I did hear instruments, rhythm and soul. I even practised the violin for many years until my favourite teacher retired. She seemed to never mind that I had no interest in taking the frustrating graded exams and was content with my interest in learning new pieces instead. The new teacher never got that and pushed me to take grade examinations. I naturally fell out of love with playing an instrument that to this day, I dearly miss.

I have thankfully learned to hear music in all its glory including those elusive lyrics. Every day I leave my house and plug my headphones in and get going in my own world. Sure it helps me to drown out any street commenter's and keeps me in my little cloud as I get from one place to the next. Apps like Spotify have enabled the easy finding and regular listening of new music. One week I may be transported to the world of Ethiopian Jazz and the next I won’t be able to stop listening to the latest Ariel Pink. So I find myself going through band after band but not really experiencing it in its fullest sense. Yes I love what I hear but it's a somewhat shallow experience.

Fast forward to this year and my decision to get to grips with music and its place in my life. Caused in part, by my contact with Elisa Goodkinds husband Tim, a well respected lawyer in the music industry. The music industry is a new realm that seems pretty murky (to me at least)… In a world where a song is recorded on an infinitely copyable MP3 track what is its true value and place anymore?

Live Music fills this spot very nicely. One directly impacts the musicians and hopefully will end up leaving with a true experience that brings new meaning to ones regular listening experience. Another early New York memory was my deep wish to see Foals at the Bowery Ballroom and chickening out last minute because I was alone. I always said after that I would not miss my favourite bands perform again. It took 4 years before I actually started buying tickets and committing myself to the experience. And I'm so glad I did! I love going by myself and not having that nagging pressure of worrying my friends are enjoying themselves or not. Of course going with people also has the potential to own another shared memory in our rich tapestry of life.

This month I had the great fortune to see both Tamaryn (after Meagans massive praise I wasn't going to let this dreamy band pass me by!) and local NYC band The Babies, who I've been thriving on since my first listen after an incredibly memorable trip to Bard College last year. I thought I'd share with you the poorly filmed videos and my own personal cuts of their musical output. Two very different bands and two life affirming experiences. Watching them perform I forgot any work/personal drama and was transported into my own trill experience along with the rest of my fellow showgoers.

The New Standard Family

2012-11-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

[Edwardian coat (Gift from my NYC Mom Elisa, Uniqlo x Undercover hoodie, Uniqlo x Undercover t-shirt, Thrifted skirt, old Converse, Old scarf] All Photos by the wonderful Wax of Pop, Bop & Snap and my friend :)

Hello Lover,

I do hope you and your family are well and safe. As I'm sure you know we've had a wee climate issue here in New York. In fact we are still, very much in recovery from Ms Sandys effects. Vast swathes of the East Coast are in tatters and I still have friends with no heat or electricity, whilst others have lost property or worse... I would like to report that I am well, having been blessed to live in the highlands of Fort Greene, all we lost was cable and wifi for a day. Before I swing into what I really want to talk about, I highly encourage taking a look and perhaps sending a donation to the fantastic people at Humans of New York X Tumblrs Indiegogo campaign (which they've already hit, but you know lets make it count!).

So back to regular business. The hurricane swept through the city, and my mind. And when the dust settled an issue I've been toiling over seemed to become crystal clear. Since I was young my family has been spread out all across the globe starting with a brother going to a school 6000 miles away and culminating in the current status quo of said brother teaching English in Thailand, a sister learning Mandarin in Beijing, a mother creating jewelry in London and a father defending citizens, both law abiding and not, in Hong Kong. This is what I'm used to. It may sound strange but growing up like this has been my normal. Yes I may not have had the good fortune to easy access to all my loved ones but I have gained in a myriad of other ways...

Passing through Uniqlo a couple months ago I saw this T-shirt proclaiming "The New Standard Family" carefully cradled within x-ray hands. I'm unsure exactly what Undercover's, Jun Takahashi was trying to point out but I felt in this simple garment something resonating. I snatched it on sale a week later (sadly I guess the general public didn't understand this nicely thought out collab but whatevs,,, more for me and my kin!). It was perhaps it's third or fourth wear when the hurricane hit. I was sitting in my living room with my roommate of three years, Christian and one of my best friends and fellow Fort Greene residents, Adrian. Sitting there, with this slogan emblazoned across my chest, everything became very clear. Something I've felt all along was literally on top of me: blood has nothing to do with family, certainly not anymore. Not to downgrade my beloved blood relatives but my brothers, sisters, uncles and aunts live all around me. I've encountered them through this strange magical mystery tour called life and I'm sure more will come out of the woodwork as my river meanders its course through this planet (and maybe beyond?). Sometimes I lie in bed awake at night, unable to sleep and feeling all alone in a giant world. Sometimes I'm grateful for these moments of solitude but I've learned to never accept a feeling of loneliness, there is always someone there; I just have to reach out and connect. We stem from a living, breathing, interconnected, commonality; our sentient thoughts.

As much as I may complain about social media, Facebook, Skype, Twitter and the like. The internet not only brings us together but it keeps us there, in some ways. During Sandys violent rampage along the Eastern Seaboard I kept upto date with the news in my very personal social network. We watched in collective horror: as familiar buildings lost facades, Con-ed stations blew up, streets and subway stations flooded, and yet we could remain re-assured that our loved ones were safe. The following day we were left to survey this great city we call home. New York City isn't like anywhere else, it is the worlds city. What we witnessed has shaken us to our cores. We are not invincible. We are just as the Titanic, seemingly so indestructible yet so, so destroyable. Not to be a Debbie about climate change, I'd like to spotlight the effect it had on clarifying the new realities of this new standard family. This tragedy broke down the silly barriers that keep us from each other. Personally it allowed me to see how lucky I am, to have such wonderful souls in my experience, people that stick through it all like bedrock. Yes you can't cut a bloodline but you also cannot cut life experiences. We make our own individual families, these circles interlink with others and without realizing it we exist in one global interlocking family. So despite different opinions and ideologies, why don't we all just realize we are just a bunch of cheesy relatives fighting over the same remote control?

Love you as always,

Embracing My Otherness - Handwriting and the Non-Digital Self

2012-10-15T21:07:00.000-04:00

[Kaweco Sport in red with blue/black ink]

Hi World!

Part of this whole, learning to love my own 'faults' spiel, means I actually have to take the things about me that I recoil from: and either love them or change them to something that I can love. When I was in secondary school my handwriting was so bad that I eventually stopped using pen and paper altogether and switched to writing all my notes and essays on a laptop. This little switch gave my voice clarity and confidence that allowed all my written subject grades to go up at least a grade each. Ever since I have relied almost entirely on digital note-taking to a point where handwriting feels foreign to me.

[Kaweco Sport in red with blue/black ink]

In the last couple of months I started a new job where I decided it would be nice to write handwritten thank you notes to my clients. A little old, a little silly but heartfelt too. Of course my initial attempts sucked. I realized, if I was going to take pride in my handwriting, I would have to get a writing implement that would be a pleasure to use. Back in school we used fountain pens to write with: awful, leak-everywhere, scratchy fountain pens. The alternate ballpoint proved even more painful for me to use, I always pressed too hard and got tired of writing far quicker then I should have.

[Kaweco Sport in clear with green ink]

Aesthetically speaking I love the lush multi-hued line produced by a fountain pen. Of course the beauty of the fountain pen comes in the shape of its nib often engraved with elaborate swirls and trademarks. Naturally I though I should hunt for one of these olde style writing tools. Unfortunately the market is full of old fashioned and/or OTT, ostentatious, never modern pens and certainly none of them felt like me. Until I came across the store TopHat in the Lower East Side. A well thought shop that stocks objet trouvé from around the world. Here the beautifully sleek, light and modern Kaweco branded fountain pen can be found.

[Clear Kaweco Sport with green ink and Red Kaweco Sport with blue/black ink]

Of course with all things I want to buy I stared at it for a month online, watched funny youtube reviews (yes there are youtube videos of fountain pen reviews) and planned what colour I felt would inspire me the most. Finally I caved and got myself a gorgeous Kaweco Sport in Red. Red in Japanese is Akai, which refers to a state of brightness and energy. Do we need much else when we write? I think not, and let me say, the plan worked!

I decided to get a second pen for work and keep the first as my walk around companion. I have only used the medium nib but it comes in different sizes so if you are some sort of cartography champion dude then by all means try something else. For everyone else medium with blue/black or black ink is probably your best bet.

I now carry a notebook around and my lovely little pen and write whenever I can. My handwriting is still pretty much a scratch but it is improving. I've also noticed the difference in the way the brain processes thoughts and ideas when putting pen to paper versus finger to keyboard. As the venerable Kenya Hara discusses in his book White, "The sheer act of holding a piece of white paper, so full of creative possibility, would bring about a surge of human imagination." Different neurological pathways are stimulated as a result of using a pen versus using a keyboard catalyzing a whole new way of thinking.

See for yourself and put pen to paper.

Love you!

PS: Please check out my friend Mat Buckets blog for further stationary porn and much more!

Another New York Summer

2012-10-08T14:23:00.000-04:00

"Sunrise on the Manhattan Bridge. Off to work for a 7am start...." - Follow me on Instagram @feignedperfection

Hi Lovers,

I realize it is now October and summer officially ended well over a month ago but ya know I don't do timing well... So I compiled a wee Spotify playlist to celebrate this occasion. All the music meant something to me this summer and maybe you'll enjoy it too.

Love

B

Course Change

2012-10-01T13:28:00.000-04:00

Image from the No Lost Witches lookbook I did a bunch of time ago [Issey Miyake jacket, Ivan Grundhal jacket, No Lost Witches T]

Hi World,

Good to see you're still there! I'm back from my vacation from blogland. I gotta say, it has been swell to take a break and figure out what I've been doing here on Feigned Perfection.

Those of you who took the plunge and decided to follow me on my Tumblr/Twitter outlets have probably realized a few things. Namely, I'm not dead! I'm alive and I'm a rather random kinda dude. I took this break to figure out how I felt about blogging as a medium, and why I should continue.

It was a shock to learn that I have real flesh and blood people telling me that they miss reading this old thing?! One of those people was my dear Father who lives 12 timezones away in Hong Kong. The same person who I've been struggling to figure out a way to engage with beyond the 30 minute 'how are you?' skypes we have a couple times a month. It quickly became apparent that my blog acted as an anchor point with which my Dad (family, friends and even people I don't know!) have kept an extended dialogue going. Supposedly I do have interesting points here and there? Who knew?! This is perhaps my number one reason I want to pick up the laptop and get up and posting again. So fuck it! let's beat that distance that makes the heart grow fonder, lets sit down, somewhere comfy, you and me, and we'll have a chat.

Not to make my family feel bad or anything... But they have yet to visit me since I moved to New York 4.5 years ago (well my darling sister Annie (Follow her travels!) has been to Brooklyn for a grand total of 48 hours on her way back and forth between the UK and South America). So it would be rather lovely to illustrate my life for them and to prove I don't completely live on an abstract cloud in my brain (although I definitely do).

Spending my time writing about the things I like and taking photographs of myself (no matter how poorly shot) in my fashuns, gotta say, does some interesting things to a person. I've never been comfortable in the spotlight; but thanks to Two of my favourite bloggers Arabelle of Fashion Pirate and Meagan from Latterstyle (in particular this post) I've learned to at least embrace and at some point hopefully celebrate my uniqueness, inside and out in its totality. Engrained within our Western psyche (although let's be real, does western/eastern/southern/northern really make a difference anymore?) is the idea that we are not good enough, thin/muscular enough, tan/pale enough, male/female enough etc. The time has come that we stopped this bullshit and decide that whatever shape, colour, age we are we have only one body and we should love it! I happen to be lucky enough to live in a city where I really can express anything I like through my exterior appearance but many people are trapped in social boxes that disable their ability to be free on this front. So I will continue to put up photographs of myself here, not to self promote, but to hopefully inspire someone in some small way to look at themselves and think, "you know what I am awesome (that is something to be in awe over) and fuck everyone who tells me otherwise! I'll be my own fantastic individua self." Because lets face it, the world would be pretty fucking awful if everyone was a clone of some un-realistic celebrity image.

Which brings me to one other no-so-small order of business. My lovely NYC family at stylelikeu.com have invited me to become one of their Community Bloggers. Beyond honored to be a part of a website that celebrates everything I believe in. <3 you guys 5ever!

Finally I had to figure out exactly what I thought this blog, the ultimate in my internetz outletz, had to be. So in no particular order, Feigned Perfection will be:

1. Original

2. 100% Me

3. Empowering

4. Founded in substance

5. True

6. Intellectually beautiful (perhaps at times it will be aesthetically beautiful too, but that's not the goal)

7. Explorative and thoughtful

8. Something I'm proud of

So we will see how this goes, wish me luck!

I love you all!

New Horizons

2012-02-23T14:31:00.000-05:00

Well I never thought I'd do it, but I've done it.... I now have a tumblr. If you like that kind of thing and want to see the random shit that goes on in my life (both externally and internally) head on over.

But don't worry all of you who enjoy my over extended musings. They'll be back! At least when I feel a little less icky about the blogging world. For now mindless e-fodder is all I feel ok with sharing...

Happy 2012 Y'all

2011-12-26T15:40:00.000-05:00

Been on a little journey recently so FP's been quiet. I hope everyone had a beautiful Christmas weekend and a fantastic New Year ahead. I'll leave you with the most beautiful Mollie King singing at my good friend Gerald Decocks birthday.

Love

Brandon

Skirting the Issue - Just Breathe

2011-11-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

Our breath. It is an interesting thing, isn't it? We do it so naturally from birth that we barely even have to think about it. Yet our breath intrinsically links us to the fact that we are alive. When you're stressed out, worried, going through something painful or troublesome, stop for a moment to focus on your breath--realize that whatever happens, you'll breathe right through it.

[Vintage YSL crushed velvet sweater, Paul Smith shirt, Thrifted Paco Rabane pleated skirt, Haat dress, Thrifted knit skirt, Issey Miyake APOC leggings, Alexander Wang shoes, Ned Sewell Goggles]

This is a trick I've used to deal with the stares and comments I get when I walk down the street or go about my daily life. Most of the time I don't even notice, but there are times when you can become [like] breath, and rather than fight it, breathe through it till you're back in the safezone. After awhile you realize that you carry this safe-zone deep within. Our breath is the key to getting in.

Carrying on with our skirt discussion; I have realized why it's been such a long drawn out process for me to get to the damn point. I appreciate Sean's thoughts on the topic and I think Syed will have a much better series of posts then I could ever have, on the social implications of a man in a skirt. Attempting to simplify this, it's something like this whole breathing thing, it simply isn't a big deal for me. I know this seems like an easy way out, but at this point in my experience (maybe because I've been wearing skirts for a year now) the feelings are no longer raw or even there... Maybe? Yeah, why not?

There is so much out there already on the history of men in skirts why would I just repeat here. I'm sure you don't come to my blog for me to repeat a history lesson, in fact I'm not sure and shocked why anyone even reads FP but I hope that it's something to do with the fact that I try hard to project my individuality into this bog. So I think I should close this discussion. You can always feel free to email me if you ever have a question on the topic. Enjoy the appropriate video below! See ya soon!

A word from the wise, be careful of a windy day and subway grates...

Nick Cave Binge Weekend

2011-11-07T10:30:00.000-05:00

After much cajoling from the lovely Amber Doe; A few weekends ago, I went to Queens, Manhattan. The Jack Shainman and Mary Boone Art galleries have been exhibiting the phenomenal artist: Nick Cave. His choice of medium, the sound-suit, beats close to my own heart. These suits were created to remove race, gender, age, and any trace of the wearers material, individual, presence. They celebrate life as moving, sound-making (watch the videos) references to the beautiful spirits beneath. We place so much emphasis on the corporeal check-boxes of those around us. Nick Cave wants us to look past all these constructs and celebrate that we are living, we are life, we are vital.

‘Mating Season’ is an encounter of white-haired, boyish bunny figures suggesting a sublime play of fornication, placed in multiple positions.

‘Speak Louder’ comprises a group of figures that unite into one organism. Several of the figures gesture in a manner that reveals emotional references and together speaks of a multiplying figure that becomes an assemblage or a whole. The unifying surface of the piece is constructed from a surge of assorted black buttons. Each button offers the reflection of a memory, a thought, and the inheritance of personal identity. The accumulation of buttons invades a singular cloth producing a choir of voices. These tableaux will provoke new readings of Cave’s work, which in the past has been constructed around the individual figure.

Now off to the Mary Boone Gallery!

The original sound-suit made of twigs, hence the name.

[Issey Miyake APOC sweater, Acne shirt, Pleats Please trousers tied up with red shoelaces, Thrifted J. Shoes boots]

I didn't want to influence you too much, on your own opinions and ideas about art so please enjoy this interview with Mr Cave and let me know your thoughts!

New Fall Playlist

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

Third Uncle - Brian Eno, Taking Tiger Mountain

I'm Waiting For The Man - The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground & Nico

Breakin the Law - The Babies , The Babies

Veronica Falls - Veronica Falls, Veronica Falls

Pulse - I Break Horses, Hearts

England - The National, High Violet

Fade into You - Mazzy Star, So Tonight That I Might See

Things From The See - Black Moth Super Rainbow. Electric Avenue: Chapter 8

Xtal - Aphex Twin, Selected Ambient Works

Solo Swim - The Notwist

Soon, My Friend - M83, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

Little sister - Nico, Chelsea girl

The Golden Age - Beck Sea, Change

Another Green World - Brian Eno, Another Green World

Enjoy!

Occupy Wall St

2011-10-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

There's not much I can say about this movement that others have not. I fully support each and every person trying to regain a sense of democracy and freedom of speech amidst the jarring reality of NYPD brutality and corporate greed. I've been down a few times and wanted to share the blurry photos of Zuccotti Park I took on my camera phone the first night I went down.

There is a real feeling of change and movement going on. Everyone is hopeful that we will win back a sense of common decency and right the wrongs that have happened in the past. Tiffany should have a post coming soon of her own more awe-inspring experience yesterday at Times Square where Occupiers celebrated not being evicted from the park by wearing white.

For more information on what is going on from the ground and not the corrupt media go to http://occupywallst.org/ and http://anonops.blogspot.com/ .

One final note, google took my blog down on friday. Clearly it's back up but for the last couple of days I really felt shaken that MY personal voice could be stifled and shutdown. I'm glad and grateful for my blogger friends who explained how to get it back and who to contact. Thank you Matthew!

Skirting The Issue - Opening Pandoras Box

2011-09-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

As human beings, we are a naturally curious species. We want to explore the world and with each new discovery the only way to understand something is to relate it to the nearest known concept. When scientists explore the depths of our oceans, they unearth new lifeforms with each trip. With new lifeforms comes classifications, what kingdom, class, family, genus etc, the new lifeform belongs to. It's the same way that we relate to each other, we create boxes, stereotypes in order to understand the people around us. These helpful stereotypes over time become rigid, unchangeable cages. The fact is, life is constantly evolving, ideas change in mere seconds, we cannot simply define everything around us and not be open to the idea of change. The phenomenal Thandie Newton discusses the implications of defining self in a recent talk at the TED conference.

Now I'm not saying I have broken free of stereotypes, or stereotyping, but I do attempt to see through these idea-loaded material elements as utterly meaningless. A very good example is clothing and the way we present ourselves. We put far too much emphasis on the hidden psychological values of our clothing which in its essence is just a wrapper. When I get dressed, I see these elements as tools to explore various ideas. Like any tool, they can be used to explore deeper psychological elements. The difficulty of doing your own thing is that most people are afraid of change. Whilst one has to fight through many negative perceptions, one cannot put a price on freedom. A lot of people are afraid of change, but I'm frightened of the world becoming static or worse, regressing (Totally unrelated but sometimes this place really freaks me out)...

I want to open up this topic, in order to explore and firm up my views and create a new discussion. Originally I wanted to write a simple "Men in Skirts" essay, naively thinking it would be as simple as that. However this topic has become the bane of my existence. Trying to fit it into one post is near nigh impossible. So a new series is born today.

I'd like to also explain my absence from this here sounding board (bored?). I have just started a new job and frankly haven't had the time, nor sufficient mental capacity to devote to Feigned Perfection as I'd like. I've also been struggling with my own idea of self v oneness, and what it means to blog and work within the fashion industry. It's been especially tough to write knowing I have had this skirt post weighing me down since January. So hopefully now we have this introduction out of the way we can start properly exploring.

[Old Rochas shirt from my schooldays, Thrifted Rag & Bone Vest, Thrifted Laura Ashley skirt, Old Chucks]

If there is one thing I want to sign off with, it's that I will probably never be a three post a week kinda blogger (on this platform anyway). Thank you for keeping me in your feeds and subscribing. I do not want to post just to keep up some kind of frequency, I only want to write from the heart, what's going on in my head. So please bear with me, keep me in your feeds (if you like what I write) and there's always twitter to see that I haven't completely fallen off the face of the earth...

As if you didn't already know...

2011-08-12T13:45:00.000-04:00

Next week is the holy grail of sample sales. Not only IF but also Issey. I'm not allowing myself to go to either! If you have been clever and saving your penny's, now is the time to use 'em!

What: ISSEY MIYAKE SAMPLE SALE!!!

Where: Metropolitan Pavilion, 123 W. 18th St. (bet. 6th & 7th Ave.), 4th Floor.

When: Tuesday, August 16th. 9am~4pm

A Cause Worth Promoting!

2011-08-03T11:00:00.002-04:00

GUILDED from GUILDED on Vimeo.

My beautiful friends over at Guilded, are raising funds to start a school for sustainable design within fashion. Without a doubt, sustainability is THE most important change that has to happen within the fashion industry. Both lovely lasses have proved to be highly adapt at working within a zero-waste and eco-conscious ethic. Whats more they are super talented designers, Tara's line Study NY winning an Ecco Domani award this year! Not only can you help fund their school for sustainable design but you also get great little incentives along the way! So you have no excuses, go fund 'em!

Té de Chinoise

2011-07-25T10:30:00.035-04:00

[Vintage YSL Velvet Shirt (I like to think it looks like wood hence the link to the Rodarte show), Liberty London Shirt, Ivan Grundhal Tulle Cardigan, Thrifted Seersucker Trousers, MM6 Sneaker Sandals, Haat Crochet Necklace, Spitfire Sunglasses]

Apologies in advance for a rather dumb post. I have much more interesting ones planned but this heatwave, oy! I can barely make toast, let alone dissect men in skirts (The ever-expanding post I've promised for far too long), illustrate Japanese conceptual ideas linked to the future beauty exhibit, etc. So this really is just a chance for me to play around on Photoshop (maybe a bit toooo much......), share one of the many shows I've been watching on repeat and post an outfit (bleugh).

Rodarte Spring/Summer 2011 Womenswear
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

Just felt the need to post a video of a perfectly done show. Clothes, Hair, Makeup, Styling, Shoes, Casting, Set, Music, Location: everything is perfect! Makes me want to move West, paint my lips gold and listen to my new Summer Mix experiment (Go download it!).

August Mix by feigned Perfection

This isn't the BBC so I don't need to explain what is going on in the news almost everyday. I just really felt blocked and challenged by it. So this weirdo post is the result of me trying to unblock. Think of it as very public psychotherapy... Will be back to regular posting when I come up with something less lackluster!

Vive La France!

2011-07-14T10:52:00.000-04:00

So today is Bastille day! Everyone go celebrate the French, it's fun and it's delicious to do so! Here in New York we celebrated it last weekend on a couple of blocks in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. So aside from the food, the art and romance, personally I'm very happy that Paris Fashion week is still considered the centre of the fashion world. It very much is a place that can showcase worldwide talent. Yes London really is a phenomenal petri-dish for incredibly creative designers, yet Paris still retains it's place as the centre of it all. It may not be the most open to new ideas, but because everyone goes there you're bound to find someone who is! If you can get them to see your wares...

Thanks to the war raged by Kawakubo and Yamamoto in the 1980s, this city acts like a speakerphone to the world. So, if you're out to "Destroy" our pre-conceptions of what clothing can be, thus moving us forward, Paris is the place to do it.

Last weekend for Bastille day I went French by way of Japan and was utterly shocked by the lack of Breton shirts! This is Brooklyn! Everyone wears them everywhere! This one I got last year from Uniqlo that I don't wear much precisely due to that point, but felt I needed to add a little more french to the otherwise obvious Japanese overtones.

Now about this stunning addition to my heaving bedroom/closet. Somehow I own one of the showpiece deconstructed jackets from the Spring/Summer 2007 collection. When I was in London for the Future Beauty exhibit, a dress from the collection was the poster-girl for the show:

Standing at the beginning of the exhibit, the dress felt like a standard bearer for all the Japanese designers, hell any designer that ever thought outside the box of what was possible. Clearly I'm deeply in love with Japan and her visions and yes I'm going to treat a day to celebrate the french to celebrate the Japanese and to finally (six months later...) start dissecting the many new concepts I learned from that exhibit and through reading the truly fantastic exhibit catalog, interspersing these esoteric concepts I'll try to illustrate them as best as possible with my own way of dressing.

What is more wabi-sabi then a pair of delicate, off-white, calfskin shoes with a white leather welt (?)?

Now about the jacket. Aside from it's obvious perfection for summer and all the humidity that can be thrown at me, it has pockets that are perfect for a metro-card and a phone. It floats when one wears it, as if one is shrouded in the deconstructed, highly charged ideas of Japan. I think everything I could say doesn't even surpass what the graphics designer Kenya Hara writes in the following excerpt from his book White (which is currently on my book wishlist). I HIGHLY recommend you read the essay below. I remember standing in front of the white mannequin at the Barbican awe-struck and to get some essence of why, read it.

[Click to see larger version]

So if you can't tell I am tickled pink to be able to wear something that quite literally can bring hope and peace to me when I wear it, whilst affecting other people in such a myriad of different ways. This red circle is a metaphor for the way I personally view clothing; loaded with psychological meanings, but in the end, meaningless.

[Comme des Garcons Tulle Underjacket with flocked red circle (and useable pockets!), Uniqlo Bretton shirt, Club Monaco altered shorts, Yohji Yamamoto Off-White calfskin brogues, Ned Sewell Goggles (heat + humidity = summer necklace for now), Crazy hair: All mine and this seasons doing] Thankfully I just laundered that Breton shirt....

"The wearer can feel it, If the clothes are free-spirited." — REI KAWAKUBO

Attrition

2011-07-11T12:54:00.000-04:00

Dear Readers,

You may have noticed that I have come to a full stop posting my own designs. You probably are thinking I've stopped creating and have become a full on blogging nerd. Vain enough to post pictures of my ever "whacky" outfits, whilst posing on my mess of a fire escape on a semi-irregular basis. Goodbye Brandon Acton-Bond the designer, hello Brandon Acton-Bond the poseur!

Regretfully, I am still creating. Even more regretfully, I can't post about anything that I've done! Can't, or won't? I am well aware that their are actual departments, with a sole purpose to troll the internet searching out ideas to copy. I am no Rei, Hussein, Issey or Lee, but I am me. I don't have the financial or legal capabilities to own my ideas once I post them on the internet (please get in touch if you know how I'd be able to defend myself on these things though!). I'd dearly love to get feedback on my designs, be it footwear, bag, textile you name it. Simply put I'm afraid. I have friends who are incredible innovators and artists within their fields, who can't even wear their creations out of the door. In NY you have these people who like to take your photo if you're different. I'm not talking street style photographers, I'm talking trend forecasters. or as I like to call them: thieves. These people make a living by co-opting individuals notions of how to dress and selling them to the highest bidder. Once you release something out into the world, it's out there, you don't own it anymore. Sure better known people have fought for their intellectual rites but in terms of fashion, you change a few things and it's a different product. YES we can innovate our way through this but with limited budgets how can small fry compete with the LVMH's of this world?

[Jean-Michel Cazabat sandals I.E. The sandals that are making summer enjoyable]

So in the end it comes to a policy of learning to let go. I could keep my ideas boxed up, never letting them see the light of day, or lose ownership. I guess part of being a designer is about nurturing an idea into fruition and then letting it walk out into the world on its own. That's the thing about designs. They are ideas, and an idea is capable of being grasped by anyone.

With all that being said, I will share my ideas, my designs, my children. Once I'm ready to let them go. In the meantime, I'm just a ship floating around in your mindverse. Now here are some more photographs of me being vain on my fire escape! How fun! How innovative! How exotic! .... Yeah that is a tricorne hat, and yes I did make it. It falls apart a lot :/

[DIY tricorne hat, Vintage pocket shirt (closeup of the lovely print at the top of post), Thrifted soft jacket, Thrifted silk shirt dress, Random tank top, Traditional Mexican scarf, Orange Pleats Please trousers, Jean-Michel Cazabat sandals]

Yeah I'm late

2011-07-05T18:51:00.001-04:00

I spent my 4th of July cleaning the apartment and making my self dizzy staring at Photoshop. Today I'm retaking this country one room at a time. Pillow is courtesy of the gorgeous Jessie Tu (available at BoConcept Soho and Michael Hennessy Home), reminding me that I am a proud grey Brit. Read: British when I want to be (American holidays) and un-British when I don't (General Elections, Burberry). Hope you American followers or at least people living on this land mass celebrated a little more wildly!

While I wasn't looking, this happened...

2011-06-30T08:30:00.011-04:00

I decided to casually take a look at my statcounter yesterday and noticed a giant spike of visitors since about Wednesday evening... Looking more into detail I noticed that a whole lot of you internet explorers (NOTE the lack of capitalization, let's retake that expression from Microsoft!) were googling my blogs name.

Back in early May the lovely Sophie Karlberg from one of my fave magazines Bon Magazine got in touch about featuring my humble internet abode in a tough blogger (yep the word tough is there, in describing me and my aesthetic?...) feature... At some point in the last couple of days it was posted causing said spike. So thank you Sophie, H&M and all my new European visitors for coming. Tea and crumpets for everyone! Now I'm going back inside to hibernate, see you next Autumn!

Don't worry, my capsule collection doesn't come out till Spring/Summer 20-and-never. I don't think it's quite in to sell nothing but kitchen sinks...

Handmade Anomaly - The Experience

2011-06-27T09:30:00.002-04:00

You know the feeling when you order something online and it arrives: Christmas! Well that's neither here nor there. The point of this post: is to report to you people out there, on what it is like to put on a pair of these gorgeous handmade goggles and walk out the door. By this, I mean, wear them like I would any other pair of sunglasses in my everyday life. Since they arrived I have worn them maybe seven days out of the ten they've been in my possession.

Let's get the habitual part out of the way shall we? The leather is suppppppper soft deer skin, completely the opposite of what I thought they'd feel like. And yes, it's hot and humid in NYC around about this time of year, and yes, there were times when the whole "leather on face" deal was uncomfortable. However those grommets aren't for decoration! not only do they provide some ventilation; they also have a magical effect when walking through direct sunlight. Little tiny white sunspots dance around inside, adding to the somewhat surreal experience of donning a pair. I certainly envision a LOT of use in the winter months, when icy blizzard conditions really request something along these lines.

Now all that is well and good, but the really interesting part is the effect one has on other people and the consequent effect it has on oneself. The lenses of my pair make the wearers eyes completely invisible to the viewer. In effect it's as if one is able to sit in a bird watching hut, that's also really obvious yet not... Ummm ok, these goggles act like the great silencer of New York, without a doubt! If you've ever been down my neck of the woods, you'd understand that silencing NYC, is nigh impossible. Obviously it's still noisy as hell, but from my point of view where I do get comments a lot from what I wear, putting these on: all I get are stares from 95% of passersby. Now I'd like to point out that I bought these because I respect them and their aesthetic, not to get stared at! Yet because I can kind of hide behind them, they feel like armour. They are empowering! It's amazing!

Yes a little superheroesque one cannot deny. And what's wrong with that?

Wearing something that is so far away from what the industry is putting out and what people are wearing on the streets and what many people would consider wrong: felt so right! Walking around Union Square with its clusters of fast fascism shops, with something so handcrafted, and out of the fashion loop made feel like I was retaking back my individuality. The power to shock people into speechlessness, not just any people but New Yorkers is rare and much needed. In a town where the mediocre are considered visionaries, people need to realize that a step into strange territory, is necessary to keep culture from cannibalizing itself. I'm going to keep wearing this bold eyeware because I love it, it's empowering and I haven't felt more challenged since getting used to wearing drop crotch trousers and skirts. Ultimately getting used to wearing these various items takes out the psychological sting that they can carry. On my behalf initially, and eventually on humanities to point where we can all accept whatever we choose to wear as individual. And what's wrong with an idea like that?

[Sewell Goggles, Issey Miyake Silk Bug Jacket, Ivan Grundhal Linen Layer Sleeve jacket, Uniqlo +J L/S T-shirt, Haat Ikat Print Drop Crotch Trousers, Paul Smith Suede Espadrille Boots]