je suis amy.

LURVE issue Nº5 out now

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The theme for the 5th issue of LURVE is “SKIN DEEP”

There are two amazing covers to choose from: one of the iconic Naomi Campbell and the other of rising star Marihenny Rivera Pasible.

Expect to see insightful interviews from incredible tastemakers and artists such as Vanessa Beercroft and Marina Abramovic, among other gems.

Yours truly wrote a piece on Oroma Elewa, Editor-In-Chief of Pop Africana.

Be sure to grab a copy! Check here for a stockist near you!

big ol' floral tees, georgia o'keeffe steez

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:07:00 -0500

top: Stella McCartney resort 2012// Georgia O’Keefe “Apple Blossoms”

bottom: Givenchy resort 2012// Georgia O’Keefe “Red Cannas”

Floral motifs have deep roots on the runways and with designers such as Mary Katrantzou leading the “rose parade,” it’s a theme that will continue to blossom for seasons to come. Despite the unyielding presence of florals, there are only so many ways a woman can wear flowers—on a blouse, skirt, or dress. With those limited options, florals tend to express a hyper-femininity that some women try to avoid and for many women, it is simply not representative of their aesthetic. For the women not looking to dress like the grown-up versions of their 5 year-old selves, Stella McCartney and Riccardo Tisci offered a more boyish alternative. For their 2012 resort collections McCartney and Tisci both showed oversized flowery t-shirts with flowers à la Georgia O’Keeffe. The designers must have been sipping from the same orange-blossom tea.

The baggy tee/ floral pattern fusion amalgamates femininity and masculinity in a manner that that breaks the assumption that flowers are just for girls (well, Riccardo Tisci already negated that statement).

The similarities between the prints on McCartney’s and Tisci’s shirts to O’Keeffe’s illustrious botanical renderings are striking— they resemble the artworks uncannily from type of flower to color scheme. Whether a subconscious or concerted effort to reference O’Keeffe, they both undoubtedly evoked the spirit of the late modern artist.

Ready-to-wear or couture pieces alluding to art pieces is a perpetual, natural occurrence in the fashionscape. Drawing such comparisons further reinforces how art has fueled, and continues to fuel, fashion.

NYFW SS2011: Suno

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:09:00 -0400

Collectors of traditional textiles from Kenya, Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty of Suno, create beautiful, culturally rich garments, coated in African motifs. Having only been a around for a few seasons, Suno continues to grow and encourage an anti-minimalist attitude. SS11 was lively, with a frenzied mixing and matching of prints and textures that worked perfectly. In many cases too many patterns and print-pairings could be detrimental for a collection but Osterweis and Beatty hit the nail on the head and churned out looks that were intelligent and well thought out.

NYFW SS2011: Nomia

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:06:00 -0400

Yara Flinn, designer behind Nomia, executed a beautifully cohesive SS2011 collection. Body-concious bandage dresses, and asymmetrical silhouettes served as a celebration of the female form, as well as a reminder that down-right femininity is still alive and well even in the world of boyfriend jeans and dress-shirts . Flinn’s attention to detail was sharp. Strategically placed cutouts tastefully and subtly exposed skin in all the right places.

if you are in NY...!!

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 23:11:00 -0400

The talented Robert Knoke is launching his first book of his amazing ink portraits at the end of fashion week. Stop by and meet the man who eerily immortalizes fashion’s elite! See you there, can’t wait!

Covering NY Fashion Week SS11 for LURVE magazine

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:22:00 -0400

be sure to check Lurve’s site for my fashion week reviews, photos and tidbits!

remembrance of things past.

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:17:00 -0400

Time operates in an upward, linear trajectory, but how we experience life is in a cyclical manner. Moments are re-visited and recycled, there are the occasional deja-vu’s and experiences that constantly resurface. Fashion operates in the same way. Perhaps fashion is just one big Proustian experience all together because what contemporary fashion has proven is that the past is inescapable. No matter how much time passes, or how much the industry progresses, we are always reminded of certain moments, and instances. Whether intentional or subconscious, we can not deviate from what was already established. Many of what is seen in fashion today are allusions to works that were created decades ago.

Sheridan Barnett, 1971/Damir Doma FW2010

This then raises the notion that the progression of fashion is debatable. Motifs and themes that we come across in editorials and runways are derivatives of past moments; residual strands of the garments that preceded them.

YSL Le Smoking/ Givenchy FW2010

Yves Saint Laurent’s Le Smoking, the grandaddy of androgynous fashion, gave way to the menswear in women’s wear trend and has undoubtedly informed the way many women dress and how designers design. Androgynous dressing, which many naïvely think is synonymous with Rick Owens or Ann Demeulemeester, arguably would not have been pushed to such heights without Le Smoking. The trickle-down effect is so prevalent in fashion, yet often the references go unnoticed. Claude Montana had theatrics, asymmetry and sculpted shoulders before Gareth Pugh’s apocalyptic androids and Christophe Decarnin lit the fire of “Balmania.” Just so we’re clear.

claude montana/Rick Owens SS2010

Encens 2011 now available!

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:52:15 -0400

Encens

photo: Mike Schreiber for LURVE magazine clothing: Rick Owens

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:55:00 -0400

photo: Mike Schreiber for LURVE magazine

clothing: Rick Owens

beauty of modesty

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:47:00 -0400

There are cultural and religious reasons why women cover themselves up around the world, which within of itself presents controversy. Looking at it through a feminist lens, some believe this is a form of female oppression because they are stifled by their culture’s rules and traditions. On the other hand this is viewed as a form of respect and modesty. Not to undermine these reasons or bring them down to just an aesthetic level, but regardless of the age old debate, there is a mystique that surrounds the women who cover themselves. This could be why this kind of look is perpetually translated and interpreted in fashion. That air of mystery is quite enchanting and the idea of beauty radiating without bearing skin is empowering.

images:National Geographic

runway images: YSL F/W 2010, Givenchy F/W 2009 couture, Rick Owens F/W 2010-style.com

bits and pieces of Paris.

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:48:00 -0400

It was a great 2-week trip. Good food, good people, good times. Here are some quick shots of tidbits here and there. I will resume to posting regularly!

Diane Pernet

Dan Thawley, Bart Wynants and Damir Doma

my first [minor] styling job

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:12:08 -0400

Here are a few shots from a shoot I worked on. It was shot by the amazing Ellinor Stigle who I swear is probably the sweetest person in the world, on top of being super talented. She had a great idea of shooting a turban story, but not in an overly styled/contrived way. She asked me to jump on board and style the boys in the turbans. It was a fun, easy shoot. The photos came out beautifully and totally natural.

models: Zach King and James Cox—Red Models

encens magazine's new direction

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:55:31 -0400

I love when I receive updates from Encens. Those who know the magazine are very familiar with the concept. Editors/founders, Samuel Drira and Sybille Walters, feature a different designer/theme every issue and create some of the most beautiful editorials and powerful articles. The magazine continues to evolve and gain momentum with every issue. With that being said, beginning September 2010 they are going in a new direction. For starters they are switching from a bi-annual publication to a more exclusive once a year release. For collectors like myself, chasing down the magazine will be even more exciting; thrill of the chase kind of thing. Waiting for a new issue to come out every year will be worth it because there will be 400 incredible pages of inspiration to flip through and possibly salivate over. BE SURE TO GET A COPY.

via: The Imagist From an 1987 Yohji Yamamoto ad catalogue, shot...

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:47:47 -0400

via: The Imagist

From an 1987 Yohji Yamamoto ad catalogue, shot by Nick Knight

This just goes to show that advertisements/ad-campaigns don’t need to be bogged down with excess. I love this one from Yohji because it upholds artistic integrity and sells the garments at the same time. Understated, yet thought out, simple yet alluring. Capitalism has become such a driving force in ad campaigns (naturally) that creativity often gets muddled in the effort to sell clothing. It was so refreshing to stumble upon this and know there was a time where creativity and vision weren’t sacrificed. I’m also reminded of Kara Walker when I look at this, though this preceded her work.

Um, YES! You are my frakking style icon!!

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:48:05 -0400

wow! Thanks!!

men's collections SS2011: Ann D, Boris Bidjan Saberi, Damir Doma

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:12:14 -0400

Ann Demeulemeester

The military motif is omnipresent in Demeulemeester’s collection season after season and SS 2011 is no exception. This time she really let the garments and silhouettes speak for themselves. Without the intrusion of her usual use of accessories, (no feathers, necklaces, et al), simplicity reigned supreme. This season, there was more of a focus on the structure. The garments were cut close to the body, emphasizing a sleekness and creating sharp lines. The collection also rang a chivalrous bell with her what appeared to be fencing jackets.

Boris Bidjan Saberi

Boris Bidjan Saberi presented a collection fit for an incursion. A warrior, take-no-prisoners theme played a heavy hand in many of looks. It was a collection executed with severity and fervor, projecting a strong attitude. Perfectly disheveled looks, were layered unsystematically, placing more emphasis on the rugged demeanor of the collection. What is worrisome, however, is the fact that perhaps the styling of the show maybe outshone the individual pieces. Let’s hope not.

Damir Doma

Like a tribe of nomadic herdsman, Damir Doma’s men came down the runway in heavily layered garbs in a range of (mostly full) silhouettes. The layering in Damir Doma’s collections is an integral part of his design aesthetic, building upon and manipulating shapes like legos. In that respect, Doma’s approach to fashion veers slightly on architectural, but with a special attention to movement and mobility.

men's collections SS2011: Julius, YSL, CDG Homme Plus, Givenchy

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 13:50:00 -0400

Julius

Tatsuro Horikawa of Julius, presented yet another rough and tough collection, working with his signature leather jackets and cargo pants. Though Horikawa tends to incorporate details that may have spilled over from a previous collection, the garments are not stale, at least not yet. It’s almost as if Horikawa approached his collection like a recipe adding a pinch of cayenne for flavoring in his soup of neutral tones.

YSL

Stefano Pilati alluded to the times where Monsieur Saint Laurent would vacation in Marrakesh with close friends, smoke hashish and take a break from the work load that the world of Parisian couture and pret-a-porter demanded. This was Pilati’s way of staying true to the essence of Saint Laurent himself, by infusing the North African culture that was very much a part of him (as he was born in Algeria and frequently vacationed in Morocco). Fez-like hats were coupled with single and double breasted jackets, nipped at the waist, in an array of desert tones and neutrals. The short-shorts seemed like another nod to YSL’s personal life, as he loved to wear them in his younger days. As much as this was a collection that reflected a bit of North African culture, it also served as an homage to Monsieur Saint Laurent. Pilati managed to intertwine his own vision with facets of YSL’s personal history whilst providing a brief cultural survey.

Comme Des Garcons Homme Plus

Just when we thought the plethora of man-skirts weren’t enough to drive the androgyny factor further, Rei Kawakubo one-upped everyone and did a full on man-dress. While we’ve seen men in dresses before from Rick Owens, Rei eliminated any traces of a man/woman barrier and is dressing her men in man-sized baby-doll dresses— flare, pleats and all. What fell flat in the collection, was Kawakubo’s use of disturbingly cliché prints, such as skulls and black and white-checkerboards, which resulted in a corny portrayal of punk-rock. However, in the middle the collection, simple, crisp looks (white dress-shirts and black, tapered, cropped trousers) came down and provided a small sigh of relief.

Givenchy

After being at the helm of the Givenchy house for 5 years now, Riccardo Tisci has really come into his own. There was an air of confidence that shone through his SS2011 collection, as he unapologetically sent out looks that were not for the bashful. Centered around leopard print, Tisci’s collection may have mirrored his fearlessness and new-found ferocity when it comes to fashion. The animal print against the impeccable tailoring plays on the idea of the duality between tame and wild, or classical and atypical. These kinds of paradoxes illustrate for Tisci, this is not just about clothing or aesthetics; he is opening up a discourse on the ethics of dressing.

men's collections SS2011: Dries Van Noten & Balenciaga

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:10:28 -0400

Dries Van Noten

Dries Van Noten, the master of prints, showed a beautifully edited and a well executed collection. Mixing sharp, streamlined, traditional suiting, with relaxed fits and casual fabrics, Van Noten gave his men options that could easily be worn interchangeably. He created a collection that will be well suited (no pun intended) for any man on the sartorial spectrum. The paint-splatter print on a white dress shirt seemed to Van Noten encouraging men to allow some breathing room within tradition suiting. There is and should be some leeway for individuality and personality. The acid wash effect was a great counterbalance to the more sophisticated looks. Aside from prints, and the mixing and matching of them, Van Noten is also very well versed in color. Peachy and sandy hues worked well with the heather grays and dusty blues. Mustards and light browns threaded them all together, curating a perfectly, un-cliché spring palette.

Balenciaga

Apparently, Nicholas Ghesquiére is still holding onto this futuristic theme that has been more pronounced in his women’s wear. He’s transplanted a bit of bit of that in his menswear, but it came through mostly in the materials used. The perforated cummerbunds, nylon jackets, shiny pants just did not bode well because for such a small collection, it was a bit overkill. Perhaps Ghesquiére should loosen his grip on the space age thing.

men's collections SS2011: Rick Owens

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:44:49 -0400

With white as the anchoring color, black and brown only served as instruments to form a defined palette; notably, this is probably the tightest palette from Owens in a while. But alarmingly, in the middle of all the subtle tones, a Gareth Pugh-esque, optical illusion print disturbs the peace. Perhaps this is more of Owens’ experimentation with prints. Uhh…

The collection began with some of Owens’ staples that followers of his are all too familiar with, such as the long, one-button coats. Along with his signatures, he showed variations of them, with minor tweaks; a long-sleeved coat conveniently turned into short sleeve, for instance. As the collection progresses it begins to resemble a montage of past seasons of both men’s and women’s collections infused together. It is no secret that Rick Owens likes to recycle the same silhouettes and ideas, with small changes here and there for a pinch of revitalization. For some RO aficionados, this is what draws them to him. However, the repeat button was pressed too many times and the collection ran the risk of becoming platitudinous. Sometimes what works one season, doesn’t always work the next or if it worked well for the women’s collection, doesn’t neccesarily mean it will work well for the men (i.e. the one shoulder tanks, note women’s SS2010). The androgyny aspect did not really work. Not this time.

Many of the garments are not even able to provide a sense of nostalgia because the silhouettes, from which these pieces are borrowed from, are still fresh in our minds; really they are no more than two seasons old. The mystique is gone and we are bored.

hills like white elephants

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:33:55 -0400

Celine resort 2011

Givenchy resort 2011

Lanvin resort 2011

Continuing on my discourse on the gravitation toward lighter colors, white is becoming more of my hue of choice. It’s association to purity and demureness could be part of the reason but not entirely. I think it’s beautiful on the body, no matter the complexion or skin tone. Just like when wearing black, wearing white makes you pay attention to shape and silhouette of the garment because there aren’t any distractions.

The lightness of white is always refreshing. It echoes nonchalance, but also a savoir faire at the same time. It’s interesting that a color can connote different things the way white does

I’m looking forward to incorporating more white in various silhouettes into my wardrobe for the summer.