One of the most innovative and progressive contemporary choreographers in New York, Sidra Bell, presents Beautiful Beast. the other face. This full length piece of perfectly crafted and executed dance explores the various aspects of beauty both extravagant and violent.  This fantastical work takes viewers through a dreamscape of personas that are simultaneously glamorous, destroyed, endangered, grotesque, and heroic. The landscape is both a house of mirrors and a house of horrors.  The work magnifies overblown, distorted caricatures of the self that obscure and conceal the truth in ones own reflection.

AVANT Magazine has been granted the opportunity to collaborate with the highly sought-after choreographer in the development of costuming and we guarantee that both the movement and the styling cannot be missed. While in the audience, it is impossible to not completely enveloped in the new world created by Sidra Bell and her extremely talented dancers. It’s mysteriously beautiful, hauntingly ethereal, and absolutely delicious.

Tickets for Beautiful Beast are on sale now.

For more information on the company, previous works, and how to support , please visit Sidra Bell Dance New York

Photography: Katherine Mills Rymer

AVANT features PRIESTESS NYC, a label that embraces an intense pluralism and is informed by a concentration on how the body functions within the world around it; both in terms of structure, style and environment, together with the cultural and social circumstances that affect it. The story here is selectively stylized and retrofitted into new novel layers and looks with an emphasis on concept, body image, technique and form.

Here the clothes are worn to reflect a singular yet dynamic story, where the looks are deconstructed, reconstructed and morphed to stretch the creative frontier. Photographer Alexander Noe captures these multi-coded motifs amidst an enchanting West Village backdrop. Complex layering, futurism and Micky Mouse come into play as “radical eclecticism” and unorthodox styling from Bradley Scott are the name of the game. Model Irene Kim, VNY Model Management, sports the layered looks and demonstrates the effects of deconstructing convention, with make-up by Jessi Butterfield.

AVANT MAG Q&A:

Q. What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
A. Read the FT and check out what’s new at the AVANT MAG site!

Q. What is one of your favorite smells?
Umm, college cheerleaders smell good…Comme des Garcons Eau De Parfums
smells great, too!

Q. What is one of your least favorite words/phrases? (I personally hate
saying the words rural, moist, and loaf. Such awkward and gross words!).
A. I HATE the term “cautiously optimistic.” Everyone says it and I’m so
over it! The word “De-leveraging” has become annoying too.

Q. What is your favorite fabric?
A. Silk Jersey.

Q. Chocolate or vanilla?
A. Chocolate with espresso!

Q. Sweet or salty?
A. Sweet.

Q. When not in your atelier, where are you most likely to be found?
Meat Packing District or Lower East Side.

Q. If not NYC then where?
A. Shanghai!

Q. What color best describes your personality?
A. I’m kind of introverted and shy so desert camouflage (I’m really into
crypsis lately.)

Q. Do aliens exist?
A. Yes, perhaps 100 billion galaxies away. But contact could be risky!

For Ross, fashion is a narrative that is irreducibly multiple, located between the extremes of past aesthetics and those of present-day trends, technologies and the near existential struggle to be rebellious
and iconoclastic – all while addressing one’s identity in the pursuit of self-expression

Furthermore, the meanings to be addressed can only be determined through a dialogue between past, present and the designer‘s subjective expectation of the future. Ross’ own designs explore the ideas developed in this notion and address the question of identity, perception and novelty while integrating diverse and wide-ranging influences. His collections include fractal designs of prints and cartoon characters, as well as intriguing silhouettes based on randomness, complexity and chaos theories. Sometimes social commentary, sometimes high-octane glam, PRIESTESS NYC crosses the
boundaries between design, fashion and art.

PRIESTESS NYC is available at: Patricia Field, Ad Hoc, Destination,
Welcome Hunters, Shop Fatal and select stores around the world.

special thanks to:

Jessi Butterfield

Jennica Johnstone

Brandon Jenkins

Cody Ross

VNY

PHOTOGRAPHER: Sébastien Pons
MAKE UP: Kavita Kaul  www.kavitakaul.com using MAC Cosmetics
HAIR: Ernesto Montenovo

MODELS:
Billie @ Premier
James Cooper @ Premier
Danielle @ D1
Chantel @ Storm

Photography : James Meade  / jmeade.com

Styling: Suzette Selman / suzetteselman.com

Model : Hawa / earnestrepresents.com

Make-up :  Rita Simon

Hair:  Crews  /  crewshair360.com

Credits:

Cage- Black arm piece by Heather Huey

Bra and Panty by Kiki de Montparnasse

Pants by Balmain

Earrings- by Ten Thousand Things

Glove by LaCrasia

Shoes by Rock & Republic

Photography / Direction / Film Editing – James Meade  jmeade.com

Cinematography – Saloman Anaya

Additional FX – Donavon Brutus

Styling – Wade Blackmon  wadeblackmon.com

Make up – Sarah Hutney

Hair – Crews   crewshair360.com

Model – Amine Elghouyel

Credits

Look 1

Shirt by Lina Osterman
Pants by Odyn Vovk
Boots & Gloves by Dior Homme
Hat & Collar at Patricia Field

Look 2

Trench by Rochambeau
Belt by Wade Blackmon
Pants by Odyn Vovk
Mask by Alexander Mcqueen
Gloves at Patricia Field

Look 3

Mask by Wade Blackmon
Jewelry by Ann Demeulemeester
Shorts by Rick Owens
Gloves & Kimono Stylist’s own

look 4

Cape by Wade Blackmon
Pants by Rick Owens
Gloves by Dariya Repina
Belt at Patrcia Field

look 5

Shirt Rochambeau
Pants Damir Doma
Shoes Model’s own

look 6

Shirt Rochambeau
Pants & Scarf by Damir Doma

look 7

Sweater by Lina Osterman
Jumpsuit & Socks Stylist’s own

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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

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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