We kinda (really) love her:

BECKA DIAMOND.

Girly vs Grunge. That’s my dichotomy.

The cuff is by Eddie Borgo. And the jeans are Alexander Wang; the zipper really goes all the way around!  And my diamond tattoo!

I absolutely love Diptyque. The John Galliano candle really suits my apartment because its like a cabin. The fig and limited amber are both amazing as is the feu de bois.

Shoes: Repetto

Tee: Vintage

Cardigan: NUMBER (N)INE

When getting ready, I love listening to Tom Waits, Iggy Pop, Phoenix, Hole, Sonic Youth. It really influences what I wear!

Another amazing cuff from Eddie Borgo. The dagger necklace is Silvester Ribbon.

I love breakfast food, especially poached eggs! The best breakfast is that with homemade breakfast sausage, with lots of herbs. And coffee. I’m a really good cook…like, really.

For all past Looks, go to:

http://avantmagblog.wordpress.com/

Their perfect combination of fashion, funk, and movement has the right people talking.

They worked it out in Central Park with Diplo. They twerked it at Colette in the company of King Karl Lagerfeld and Sir Jeremy Scott and again for Self-Service magazine. They vogued their way through London Fashion Week, performing for Nova Dando, PPQ, and the Queen Herself: Vivienne Westwood. Now they are ready to serve.

With the beautiful Kaiti Dangerkat at its helm, this House serves up an innovative mix of voguing, waacking, hip hop, contemporary and West African dance. Going beyond just the movement of dance, the House of Dangerkat explores the broad creative world, combining  fashion, music, dance, and visual media into truly unique and innovative performance art.

Get a little peak. Click the image to play the video.

OPULENCE

(click to begin)

ADDICTED

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-bradley smith

A departure from the norm by integrating tradition…sound impossible but it is exactly what SUNO has accomplished. The debut collection in ’09 incorporated vintage textiles from East Africa. While still maintaining a production base in Kenya, SUNO has branched out into a kaleidoscopic range of fabrics from Korea, Italy, and Japan. Not only are the prints phenomenal, designer Erin Beatty has a brilliant eye for cut, shape, and wear-ability.

SUNO supports local talent in Kenya by employing craftsmen in a fair environment and showcasing some of Kenya’s artistry. This is in response to founder Max Osterweis’ vision to affect positive and lasting change in a country overflowing with natural resources and talent.

SUNO Resort Collection available at Bergdorf Goodman, Opening Ceremony NYC/LA/Japan, Liberty London, and Lands End Australia.

Colorful, bold, and ethical.

www.sunony.com

-bradley smith

Before the splendor of Merriweather Post Pavillion has even worn away, its songs wiped from our favorite playlist, Animal Collective has released yet another EP to be excited about, fresh and equally delicious. Fall Be Kind is the dark counterpart of the livelier and, appropriately, merrier full length album which came out earlier this year.

Some of the new songs may ring familiar, like the cinematic track “Graze” and the much-hyped “What Would I Want? Sky” which features the first ever licensed Grateful Dead sample. Both songs have both been played live and were met with great nods of approval. Still, Animal Collective has an extraordinary approach in mixing a track to make you feel like you’re hearing the song for the very first time. At times ambient and eerily cheerful, the 28 minute EP delivers vibrant resonance, outré carnivalesque tunes, and sedative rythms, giving us another satisfying swallow of their radiance, then leaving us to hanker for more.

Released electronically on November 23rd with a physical release date set for December 15, Fall Be Kind will immerse you into the introspective darkness of the season while the taste of spring still lingers on our lips.

-chelsey bingham

(band photo credit: Atiba Jefferson)

Lola by Marc Jacobs

Meet Lola, Marc Jacobs’ new girl of the moment. She’s a sweet and vibrant nymph, one who will take off her shoes and run through fields of peonies, letting her long disheveled hair blow loose in the wind. Sensual too, she is a pure balance of sweet and grassy florals. Sure, with such a sleek, playful silhouette, she might look pretty on the shelf, but you’ll unquestionably want to bring this lovely blossom out to play!

Yogi Tea

Brooklyn has been cold, and I’m not referring to the cold lad who held me up at gunpoint. Although while going through that encounter, being cold wasn’t really on the forefront of my mind. So I guess I have to thank that creature of the night for stalking me down the street at 4am and threatening me with a gun because without him and his kind words, I would have had a cold, boring walk home. But after an evening stroll through the city, a mug of tea (my favorite being the Throat Comfort variety) hits the spot unlike any shiny toy gun.

Fresh Rose Marigold Tonic Water

Always one for unnecessary indulgences, I’ve met my new winter friend. Rose Marigold Tonic Water by Fresh is not simply a toner, it is spring-time in a bottle. It is a most perfect, momentary escape from a harsh and dreary winter. I close my eyes and, with just a spritz, I am walking through a botanical wonderland, a refreshing mist-rain on my skin. Not only are all my senses totally pleased, I have a curiously amorous glow that lasts all day long.

Buraka Som Sistema

I have no idea what they are saying but I don’t care as I dance myself into a sweaty oblivion. Their tropical jungle beats are more infectious and as fever-inducing as malaria. BSS is based in Lisbon and is a popular Kuduro group, creating heavy Afrotech beats with M.I.A., Pongolove, DJ Znobia, Saborosa, and many other talented individuals in the global music scene. It’s enough to make even the darkest emo kid want to dance. www.buraka.tv

-chelsey bingham & bradley smith

Drawing from international travels and personal creativity, LAEKEN is a label with not only a strong palette of color and sexy silhouettes; it also is a label with a conscience.  $1 of each garment (which will never be made from fur or leather and always incorporates organic fabrics) is donated to Friends of Toms, a non-profit organization supporting philanthropic work abroad.

The charismatic founder of LAEKEN, Mallyce Miller, and I had an entertaining chat one evening, which we feel should be passed on in its original form:

4:26pmMallyce

whatcha wanna know?

4:27pmBradley

well first off, what do you want to tell me? what direction do you want this to go? i dont want it to be all the boring questions that everyone asks ya know. BUT i still want it to be beneficial in expressing you as a designer

4:28pmMallyce

hmmmmm. i like long walks on the beach…

the truth is…im not one of those people who can bullshit about their work…you know the ones in school that would show a crappy painting and have the best “BS story” behind its inspiration that that person would get an A…well, im more of a sarcastic creative type that would rather have a glass of wine with you and chat about ..uh…BEACHES..and show you my clothes..but since you are TOO FAR AWAY…i will attempt my best

4:31pmBradley

yeah i totally understand that. i love that you are sarcastic. its great!

well first off, you were inspire a lot by tokyo street style. how much time did you spend there?

4:35pmMallyce

so last time..right before i started my line..i went to

AUSTRALIA< NEW ZEALAND< FIJI< LAOS< CAMBODIA< VIETNAM< THAILAND< TOKYO

I fell in love with tokyo!

seriously..if i could live there i would. All of the images on my site are from my travels.

4:36pmBradley

what an amazing trip! did you kind of have it planned out or did you kind of take it as it came?

4:36pmMallyce

i scheduled it for 3 month

but kept extending it

met up with an ex (aussie) …and kept extending it

the style was AMAZING!!!! i could take the best outfit i have in my closet and look the LEAST stylish one on the street

4:37pmBradley

did those travels inspire your design a lot?

4:38pmMallyce

yeah…at that time NEONS/80s were really huge in Australia..they hadnt really hit big yet in the US

i loved their use of color and how men there wear more “obnoxious in a good way-type” clothing

in tokyo they have REALLY interesting silhouettes!

4:40pmBradley

yeah i love all the layering that is done in tokyo

4:40pmMallyce

much more layered and voluminous

4:42pmBradley

so, to get the technicalities out of the way, i have just some basic questions:
1. where did you study
2. where is LAEKEN sold
3. what is the origination of the name

4:42pmMallyce

1) USC…Business

2) SATINE, OAK, Delta in Japan, Revolve, and i have an online store too!

for spring …some more in Canada..and Steven Alan.

3) the name is from an amazing place in Belgium. Royal greenhouses and gardens are in Laeken..

oh and speaking of….always capitalize it…..LAEKEN

4:48pmBradley

alright so now i have some more fun/random questions!

what was your favorite cartoon as a child?

4:49pmMallyce

snorks..or…uh,..yeah i guess snorks

thats the first that came to mind

4:49pmBradley

what is the last song you listened to?

Mallyce

hmmmmmmmm..driving home probably something on that station COAST. 103.5

probably Phil Collins or something

id say that because I shamelessly rock out to Phil Collins

4:51pmBradley

haha really?? thats amazing.

4:51pmMallyce

love the Cure..Love song..I remember that song playing last night

4:51pmBradley

what did you eat for breakfast?

4:51pmMallyce

its 2pm..havent had breakfast yet. i had barrys tea

4:51pmBradley

blackberry or iphone…or neither!

4:52pmMallyce

BLACKBERRY!

but

i HATE IT!

4:52pmBradley

hahaha why??

4:52pmMallyce

i have to email uber long emails daily on my phone so i assumed bbs are the best for that

my phone is more of an office-toy than a play-toy

4:53pmBradley

so, when was the last time you had a hickey?

4:54pmMallyce

haha

hmmmmmmmmmm

the last time i remember is in college…and..

it was sooooooooo giant..that i had to borrow all of my friends (tank turtlenecks..which thankfully were in style at the time)…and wear a new colored one each day for a week!!!!

it was about 80 degrees that week

4:55pmBradley

haha brilliant!

what was the last movie you saw?

4:56pmMallyce

hmm..movie…..

sector 9?…

haha

wait…district 9

4:56pmBradley

hahaha!!

4:57pmMallyce

sector 9 is a skateboard company

ha

i like manly movies.

action packed.

4:57pmBradley

i guess so!!

4:57pmMallyce

weird..i know

5:00pmMallyce

fyi i just shaved 8 diagonal steps into the side of my head

5:00pmBradley

8!!! thats intense!!

i need to see pics of this! when we met you had a few steps…dont think 8 thought

5:00pmMallyce

skinny ones

I had 3 when we met

5:01pmBradley

yeah. i loved it!

5:01pmMallyce

it looks weird now though..not too into it…i liked 3 better

5:01pmBradley

ha oh sad!!

yeah the 3 worked for you!

so, would you rather see sound or smell?

5:02pmMallyce

ohhhhhhhhhh….

see sound…….i have uber senses actually

5:03pmBradley

haha yeah?? what uber senses do you possess???

5:03pmMallyce

i can see, hear, smell everything that others cant

5:03pmBradley

like dead people?

5:04pmMallyce

i cant sit in libraries because i hear the lights…like a dog i suppose

i smell everything others cant!

5:04pmBradley

ha that actually really cracks me up!

5:04pmMallyce

i can probably see dead people

5:05pmBradley

haha

hilarious

alright, quick word association game. i say a word and you tell me the first thing that comes to your mind, cool?

5:05pmMallyce

ok

5:05pmBradley

tofu

5:05pmMallyce

soft

5:05pmBradley

mole

5:06pmMallyce

dirt

5:07pmBradley

critter

5:07pmMallyce

room ….uh..i need to explain

5:07pmBradley

haha please do!

the critter room?? creepy!!

5:08pmMallyce

yesterday! i had to run upstairs to my neighbors to get him to come to my room and get that CREEPY CRITTER..jurassic type centipede out of my house

it was sooo scary..i must find a pic..will send later..cuz i need to find out if it kills people

here it is!

http://theora.com/images/centipede.jpg

5:09pmBradley

hahahahaha! serious?! yeah that is terrifying

5:09pmMallyce

i did actually google jurassic centipede and found it!

5:09pmBradley

ew serious?? that thing is sick

that is unreal! haha

5:10pmMallyce

go on

5:10pmBradley

parrot

5:10pmMallyce

cage

5:10pmBradley

diva

5:10pmMallyce

bradley smith

5:10pmBradley

ha!!!

5:10pmMallyce

SNAP!

5:10pmBradley

serious!

Ok…midget

5:11pmMallyce

little person

5:11pmBradley

(how very PC of you!)

5:11pmMallyce

totally!

5:11pmBradley

slurp

5:11pmMallyce

peeee

5:11pmBradley

moist

5:11pmMallyce

eww..im not gonna say what comes to mind

5:12pmBradley

(ha! yes!!!)

lime

5:12pmMallyce

disease

5:12pmBradley

coral

5:12pmMallyce

reef

5:12pmBradley

gems

5:12pmMallyce

and the hologramssssss

ha

5:12pmBradley

veins

5:12pmMallyce

trees

5:12pmBradley

ok cool. thats it!!

5:12pmMallyce

Ha

http://www.laekencollection.com/

-bradley smith

When Christian Louboutin opened his West Hollywood boutique last month, one might have expected a grand soiree, clamorous with the clinking of cocktail glasses and champagne flutes, a night of glamour worthy of such a celebration. Conversely, in the spirit of the old Hollywood tradition, the highly admired shoe designer bypassed the party, and in lieu, created a short film, “Psychologic.”

Louboutin’s directorial debut, inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic film “Psycho,” introduces his talented visual creativity into a new lighthearted medium. “Psychologic” takes us into a dreamworld, it is the anti-nightmare.

The film begins starkly in chilling black and white, set in a perfect re-creation of the 1960 horror. In the all-familiar shower scene, tense orchestrated music leads up to a scream by the elegantly poised star, Elisa Sednaoui, but there is a striking sense of joy in her cry, a strange look of painful pleasure upon her face, then a shot of a perpetrator with a sharp-pointed stiletto in hand instead of a knife.

The perpetrator is a disguised Louboutin himself, and the beauty crawls out of the shower to follow him into a colorful world of his red-soled shoes. In a few moments of frivolous climax, Louboutin presents his view on the ultimate indulgence for a woman, the way to her heart and liberation, and that is through fashion.

The film as a whole is an artistic commentary on the work to which Louboutin has dedicated himself, an explanation to the sometimes illogic of fashion.

You can view the entire film at http://www.christianlouboutin.com/#/loubi_blog&gossip.

-chelsey bingham

“…the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays.” Kandinsky

Creating tone with the stroke of a brush, rhyme with the flick of the wrist, and pitch by juxtaposing rich hues alongside one another, Vasily Kandinsky created harmony in his works. Born in Moscow in December 1866, the artist developed a fascination with color at an early age, citing that upon entering cathedrals and houses in Northern Moscow the deep colors and elaborate ornamentation inspired feelings of walking into a painting.

His maturation as a creator of pure abstract form was achieved after a long period of development and chronicled in tomb and canvass throughout artistic periods beginning in the late 1890’s and ending around the early 1940’s. As he matured so did his mind and his talent. A fascination of color symbolism and psychology lead to paintings that evoke emotion by playing on the human psyche’s perception of color and shape.

Kandinsky most lovingly referred to his works as compositions: musical revolutions where, “color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul,” vibrations which could be felt in his works. Canvasses from later periods in Kandinsky’s maturation take on boisterous form that, from a viewing standpoint, inspires thoughts of a great orchestra coming alive. Kandinsky believed that art is created from an artist’s inner necessity, a sentiment that was fueled by his spiritual appreciation of form, inner beauty, and music, which in turn led to creation.

Evidence of his influence can be seen at the Guggenheim Museum. Now celebrating its 50^th anniversary, the museum has dedicated an exhibit to the artist, Kandinsky. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation describes the exhibit; “This retrospective retraces the painter’s oeuvre, focusing on key events that informed his life and work. Marked by two world wars and the 1917 Russian Revolution, Kandinsky’s abstraction did not develop in unworldly detachment; rather, this exhibition, the first full-scale retrospective of his career in the United States since 1985, reveals the complex background to his artistic advancement.”

Kandinsky’s works not only exemplify the essence of the Guggenheim’s archive, they also helped to inspire the creation of the Frank Loyd Wright crafted building. Solomon R. Guggenheim was a collector of Kandinsky’s art by way of artist Hilla Rebay. In 1939, ten years following his first delve into Kandinsky’s artwork, Solomon, being highly enthused by Kandinsky’s, and artists alike, non-objective style of painting, opened the Museum of Non-Objective Painting in New York. This development was amplified four years later when Guggenheim commissioned Frank Loyd Wright to create what some would argue as his greatest masterpiece, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Although Kandinsky promoted freedom of form through abstraction and Wright, the promotion of organic architecture connected to the natural world, both artist and architect’s support a life lead by aesthetic and spiritual pursuits.

Kandinsky is now on view at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and will conclude on January 13, 2009

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue (at 89th Street)
New York, NY 10128-0173

-devin morris

images: © Artist Rights Society

Victoria Bergsman, the introspective songstress behind Taken By Trees, croons in an almost otherworldly voice brimful of knowledge beyond her years. In her latest album, East of Eden, she graces us with an all new sound, one she travelled far from home to procure.

AVANT: East of Eden largely reflects your artistic venture to Pakistan, a stark contrast to your home country Sweden. It’s fascinating you chose such a rigid culture buried deep in tradition to expand the realms of your musical creativity. How did this setting lend you inspiration?

VB: The East has always been a mysterious direction for me; unexplored and deep. I wanted to try something else, something very far away from my safe Swedish home and environment. I felt uninspired by the settled, traditional ways of recording and playing music as I was used to. I needed something new and unexpected, where I could feel surprised and swept off my feet.

AVANT: The album is undeniably Eastern in sound and composition, yet successfully remains quite true to your inimitable style. Was it difficult not to lose yourself in the process?

VB: No, not really. I feel confident in my art and how I express myself as an artist, so I never felt worried in losing my origin or what is me. Sometimes I wished I could let go more; see what would come of that. One day…

AVANT: Some theorists say we must look to the past for answers to our future. Would you agree?

VB: Yes and no. I believe one can learn from their mistakes and make a change and try not to make the same mistake again. But, there is also a danger in looking back to the past—it can restrain one from living here and now. As in everything, it is a question of balance. Isn’t life a walk on the tightrope?

AVANT: What restrictions do we have as humans in expressing ourselves?

VB: Our own fears and preconceived notions in how we should lead our lives, behave, and react.

AVANT: There seems to be a recurrent expression in your music of your very fundamental needs. Besides the obvious necessities– food, shelter, rest– are there three things you absolutely cannot live without?

VB: Sunlight, love, and my dearest cat, Chico. But, the correct list would consist of more than three things. I would say there a few more things I just couldn’t live fully without having in my life.

-chelsey bingham

Every now and then you come across a musician that makes you sit and listen in awe; a musician which gives you no choice but to enter their world. Karin Dreijer Andersson is a most persuasive tour guide into the darkly dreamy world of Fever Ray.

Karin and her brother, Olof Dreijer, constitute the magnificent duo The Knife. In addition to having their album, Silent Shout, named best album of 2006 by Pitchfork, they also were nominated for and won all 6 Swedish Grammys in 2007. They were gaining great international attention much deserved recognition. But then it was time for a break. Karin had a child but couldn’t stop writing. In early 2009, we experienced the result of her post-natal daydreaming and writing: Fever Ray, both the title of the project and the album.

While recognizably the work of the same artist, is dramatically different from The Knife. It’s still constructed on electronic foundations and embellished with traditional instrumentation (guitar here, congas there), but Fever Ray is starker, moodier, and in places quite somber. While it may sound like various artists on the album, it is all Karin plus the help of various voice modulators.

“Sometimes, when you’re as old as I am now, you think you’re going to quit, and people around you think you’re going to quit. But then you have days when you realise how good music can be, there’s so much left to explore and so much left to do. That’s why I sometimes feel I’ll never quit.”

Here are three of our absolute favorite Fever Ray videos. Enjoy!

Seven from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

When I Grow Up from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

If I Had A Heart from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

-bradley smith