Reliquary

From my shoot with Mosh over Thanksgiving break:

Red & gold latex poncho top & tri-tiered skirt.

Only photoshop is hue/saturation changes. Straight outta camera ftw!
More images and clothing construction details to come soon.

GAH FINALS!!!

Socialist Fashionist

This article was extremely interesting:
Luxury Prices Are Falling; the Sky, Too.

As I read I couldn't help but wonder: is it really a bad thing that stores are being forced to list designer clothes for less? Is it really a crime that now more than just the "fashionista elite" can afford luxury goods? Hardly. Fashion is art, and, like art, I think it should be made accessible to as large an audience as possible. For too long there has been an almost unbridgeable gap between those who can afford expensive items ($3,000 jackets and $50,000 artworks) and those who cannot. Letting everyone in on the game is not a problem- in fact, I think it will help commercial-ability for bigger brands as well as help equalize the buying status quo. Really, those who are affected negatively are the middle men, the stores who cultivate an aura of elitism, and cutting them out only simplifies the system.

I cannot be convinced that this economic crisis is an overall bad thing. I realize that the market plummeting greatly effected those who were tied into the stock system (my family is, to a small degree) but I can't help but think the the people who are really losing are big corporations. Although it is regrettable for workers employed in such companies to lose jobs, in the long run I think cut-backs on big money industries can only lead to good thing for the future.

Lastly, I would STRONGLY disagree with the idea that creativity will suffer because of the current situation. The opposite is true: this time BREEDS creative energy. Instead of being handed everything you want and consequently growing lazy, resourcefulness in design has become essential.
As a designer I welcome this challenge. Modified thrift store finds, do-it-yourself style, repurposing old (sometimes vintage) clothing , finding beautiful fabrics on sale is what it's all about.

Garments I'm currently working on that reflect this philosophy:
~ Shoulder piece made of an old pillow with a shirt that is a pair of reconstituted satin pants.
~ Old lace curtains transformed into a ruffled halter top.
~ Draped pantsuit made out of balloon latex. I actually found the material at Burning Man this summer. There was an INCREDIBLE installation there of huge white balloons that pulsed in time to music and by the time I saw them most had popped, leaving the remains in playa dust. Soooo I decided instead of being wasteful I would take the stuff home and make something from it. (I can't describe how beautiful the installation was, especially while watching the sun come up after a night of dancing with close friends. Gives a whole new meaning to "sun salutation." If anyone knows who did it, please tell them I was moved and extremely appreciative!)

FutureDesign FutureSex FutureFashion.

Be prepared for the next phase of your evolution.

Visualization

Too tired to write anything interesting...thanksgiving break cannot come soon enough. 

So enjoy some visuals!

Model: Anjali.

A rework of a shoot I did in September. Very, VERY pleased with it. 

Model: Marysia.

Shot in 28˚ weather...bleh.  We were FREEZING by the end of it. I'm decently happy with the photo though- straight outta camera! I think I have more editing to do on it but I'm going to leave that for another day. 

Boredom Does Nothing For Me

I am in a mildly manic mood at the moment, all of yesterday and today actually, so I've been producing lots. It's a nice change from my past weeks of lethargy/energy-blockage. 

Did I mention that I love gold? My room used to be painted a burnished but still shiny hue of it. Apparently I miss having the color in my life, as is evidenced by my latest pieces:

I told Natalie Addams ages ago that I would make her something and this idea has been sitting in my head for far too long. Her favorite color is purple so I made a halter dress in that shade and then I wanted it to look like a huge gold necklace had melted down the front so I poured a super-secret concoction down it. I haven't seen any other latex designers do this technique so I would proudly say that it is my personal invention. I also want to do a blood splattered idea on army green, but I really REALLY don't support violence or gore so that may not happen. I need to find a way to make the blood look natural in a bodily sense, and not like it's out of a horror film. 

For Mosh. I was supposed to shoot her in it today but schedule conflicts made it not happen. Which royally sucks because I have a crit on Wednesday that I need to show new work for. I'm going to have to shoot a friend of mine in a different piece tomorrow and then HOPEFULLY shoot with Moshy Mosh over thanksgiving break. 

I don't know if the outfit make sense lying down...it's a poncho-like top and then a tri-layer skirt. I was really focusing on working with the particular way that latex drapes. I think it needs some red accents on the bottom...either a red edging or make more red cut outs like the top. Thoughts? 

So I have a strong affection for dance-y music (raves are love...) and I stumbled across Lady Gaga recently. Not only is her music addictive and bouncy, what really makes her interesting is her outfits. Her whole persona is a performance, and she designs everything she wears with her creative team, Haus of Gaga.

Video still stolen from perezhilton.com

Honestly, how fucking cool are those shoulder pieces??? Love it. They look like crystals, cocaine, diamonds in the rough (she says their inspired by a Thierry Mugler dress, not surprised.) I'm a big fan of shoulder and neck pieces (obviously) so I think I'm going to work on some huge spiked ones. I would love to make her something in particular...if anyone knows her or knows how to get in contact with her, let me know! 

Bonus photo....

I heart cone-boobs & leopard!

Made this over the summer for Adrienne Anderson- not sure if she's used it yet, I should get it back so I can have it for my finals. 

Enter the Dream

I haven't updated in too long, but things have been so crazy! I know I promised to post a picture of the white dress I finished up last week but I was in a rush to send them off to a stylist. HOWEVER, I am getting them sent back tomorrow and hopefully photographing it will happen soon.

Got an excellent critique on these (both the photography & outfit) today, I'm super happy:

The color is wonky, they're more saturated in real life.

Thea (the model) was so, so lovely. I can't wait to work with her again, she of the perfect body and aerialist/contortionist skills. We shot in the Chihuly exhibit at the RISD Museum (thank you Tara and Denise!) which I highly recommend going to see.

The dress is made of two parts: a column of overlapped tulle and an overskirt of the stripped polyester that is belted. The tulle part took forever- I painstakingly complied 30 yards of white and 2 yards each of red, black, blue, yellow, orange, and fushia to get the look I was going for. Then I took my scissors & cauterizer and hacked away at it until certain parts came into view. 

Also my good good friend Lauren Jack re-photographed a piece I made in conjunction with her back in May:

Elizabethan style.

It's all made out of brown plastic tarp, clear plastic sheeting, and microfoam. It's even held together with clear nylon thread and hot glue (which is plastic, fyi). 

Other than that I'm currently researching  bizarre textiles from the 1700s and wood block printing. I have a paper and design in mind that will combine both into a garment that uses old nostalgic techniques with contemporary relevance. Stay tuned!

...

Wow, it's only 6pm but it feels like much later- it's been a looooong day. I got contacted by a nyc stylist YESTERDAY for a shoot on FRIDAY, which means that I had to overnight it all TODAY. Usually I would refuse on that short of time schedule but the shoot is with Nicolas Guerin for Liz Mag and I can't pass up opportunities like that.

Of course all of the pieces had some modifying that needed to be done so I was forced to skip the second half of my critique class and work work work like a maniac for 3 solid hours. 

~ Two feather hatlettes: touchups on the underside

~ Silver organza & black plastic vest: straps had to be shortened

~ Full length blue pleated dress: inside seams had to be fixed 

~ Gold & green sheer dress: shorten/change sleeves

~ Back collar/cut-out dress: I had taken the old design apart and had to completely remake it into a very strap-y top/neck piece. 

WHEW. Run then nap then start all over again on more designs! Mosh is coming to visit on Nov. 17th and I have to have lots of goodies for us to shoot :)

Ride the Up Wave

Super productive today....I should wake up at 8am everyday! Now if only I could avoid that pesky "falling asleep in class 'cause it's so early" thing. 

I have an unfortunate tendency to put off things to do until the night before but when I am under pressure I actually wind up doing better than if I set aside more time. Case in point, I'm revamping the white dress I previously posted (see Dori in the garden picture). I took off the plastic shapes & the petticoat so that I had the original empire-waist sheath foundation, and then I re-draped it, added black accents (ribbon & pieces of a woven placemat- trust me, you'd never know. Picture tomorrow.), and seriously distressed the hem. The reason for revamp? A stylist contacted me a day or so ago to ask if I had anything available for a shoot with Joshua Black, and since I am completely unable to refuse offers with awesome photogs I had to say yes. The shoot is on Sunday but I need to send it out tomorrow morning!

On a side note, another one of my favorite tools to use is a high temperature, fine tip cauterizer. 

                                                                     

(For clarification, cauterizers are used during surgery to simultaneously cut & burn the skin- the burn prevents blood loss.) 

I don't think you're allowed to buy them for individual use, but my roommate's dad is a plastic surgeon and since health standards require that the cauterizer gets thrown out after every use, he gives her the old ones and she shares the love. It's a win-win situation!

They're great for:

- cutting nylon ribbon so that it doesn't fray

- cutting small details into fabric of all kinds

They're not so great to use on:

- latex (the smell is GOD AWFUL, and I'm sure it's super bad for your health)

-plastic (same as above, although the smell is not quite as noxious)

I think I could negate both of these problems by getting a respirator. I should probably do that anyways since I'm using powdered pigments as well for things. God damn everything at art school is toxic!!!

In The Pink

A piece I'm currently working on:

When I first saw this shell pink semi-transparent pink plastic I half fell in love with it. It has an incredible amount of body and structure because of its nature (synthetics are often much more “crunchy” than natural fibers) and yet it almost looks bodily when viewed from a distance. The sheen on it also reminds me of a wet vagina, post-orgasm style. This last little lovely description is actually the inspiration for the center folds- when I draped it on my dress form it fell in such a suggestive way that I decided to exacerbate what the fabric obviously wanted to do. I’m struggling more with the back…I like how it is starting to billow out (pregnant belly style?) but it’s not resolved. Thoughts?

As a side note, 1” masking tape is quite possibly one of the cheapest and most useful tools I have in my arsenal. It sticks to everything but not so much that it leaves a residue when removed, it’s a built in straight line (I use it all the time when cutting latex strips), and it can be used more than once. AMAZING.

Travel-o-city pt.3

For once I liked New York.

Well, I was only there for one insanely full & crazy day so maybe that's not a good arbiter from which to judge, but still.

1st stop, 1pm - B&J Fabrics

Expensive, but they have a GREAT selection of strange/novelty fabrics like polyethylene (medical gowns), metallic cork, spun vinyl, lenticular (shiny holographic) polyurethane, and liquid vinyl pvc (feels like LATEX!!! I wonder if this would be a good alternative for those allergic to rubber?). I really like also how their bolts of fabrics have a swatch coming out of it so as to better see the fabric, instead of having to pull out the whole thing (Mood fabrics, take note!) *Sigh* next time I have money to burn I will go back there.

2nd stop, 2pm - FIT Dark Glamour exhibit

I had to go again because I have much less time than I would have liked the weekend before, and I'm so, SO glad I re-checked it out. More noteables:

Yohji Yamamoto (Fall 06)

Hussein Chalayan (Fall 05)

Jans Laugesen

Gattinoni (Fall 07)

McQueen's prostetic corset from 1999 - I can't find a picture, damnit! - reminded me SUPER STRONGLY of this piece by AMF Korsets (it had the ribs and everything!):

3rd stop, 5pm - Comme des Garçon (designer: Rei Kawakubo)

First things first, the store is INCREDIBLY designed. Honestly, I'm blown away by it- you walk in and it's like a labyrinth with extremely high walls that look like they are tilting inwards. For the first little while I couldn't even focus on the clothes because I was so distracted by the architecture. When I did start to focus on the clothing, I was confused....but in a good, "I'm really intrigued" way. The current collection is primarily invested in modified mens-style wear- cut out button downs & tuexdo shirts & suit jackets like this:

I like the idea of it, but I think they look pretty hideous on women. On men I think they would look very striking. In fact, I saw mostly men in the store, which I was surprised about.

My favorite piece was definitely this though (reminds me of a piece I made for Dina de Sade last may):

                            Organza/net panniers!!         Photo: Barry Underhill

4th stop, 6pm - Balenciaga (not planned, but it was right next door)

GORGEOUS & beautifully made. I loved loved loved a draped velvet & silk top and in a separate section they had two dress made of latex!!! They were amazing, done in transparent and smoke grey latex with hand-painting and seed pearls. (Perhaps from B&J?)

WOWZA:

I've been interested in printing on latex for a while now, and I think I'll have to get on that.

[Note to the staff however: do not tell me, when I am unfastening something, that "excuse me miss, but that is very delicate" in a condescending tone. I am well aware it is delicate but if I cannot stand up to an unfastening how is it possibly strong enough to wear???]

I did a bunch of other stuff but it's not design related :D Suffice to say it involved glitter & a limo & stage dancing and renewed my interest in making go-go/performance wear.

Speaking of performance, I have decided after some much needed guidance from Liz Collins - my independent study advisor - that I need to think more about the idea of performance in my designs & photographs. What this basically means is that I will be planning out strange poses ahead of time that relate to the garments, as well as shifting gears from hair/make-up as a seperate entity and instead making them a part of the garment.

And I SWEAR I'm working, I just don't have images yet 'cause my camera is out of battery. Soon, soon!

SHOES.

If you know me, then you know I love love love shoes. It's my one girly thing. I'm especially a fan of stripper style, which is why I just spent far too much of my life at a semi-legal chinese import store that sells them for cheap. But I don't like just any kind of shoes- they have to be super tall or super strange. Hence the inspiration for today:

Ballet heels = amazing. Ballet dildo heels with spikes = genius. 

Not for arachnophobics.

Mmmm scaffolding inspired.

Looks like ceramic, Geisha style. 

FUCKING METAL!

Dirty feet from nasty sidewalk = totally worth it. 

Origami was a childhood pastime of mine, many moons ago. 

Gives new meaning to the phrase "walking the streets."

I found these just by browsing the 'net, so I have NO IDEA where they're from, where I can acquire some, or who made them. If anyone knows, let me know so I can put credits & links!

I also really want to make a pair like the last picture- anyone know where I can get shoes modified on the East Coast? Or a shoe designer who wants to collaborate with me on some crazy ideas? 

In other news, I'm feeling a bit stuck at the moment. It's really hard to push yourself to limits that other people have not already been to, and it can feel a bit hopeless. I could very easily make straight up beautiful clothing, that's no problem, but to make weird avant-garde shit that makes viewers question/think/cry/laugh/etc. is hella hard. I suppose it's the difference between garments for profit and garments for art. 

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Travel-o-city pt.2

Trip THREE: 

Sunday.

Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. 

High contrast mid-day sunlight amidst ivy, archways, roses.

Canon 5D + PS CS3

Model was Dori-bot, who was GREAT. She posed well, but took direction easily, was super sweet, and had the perfect make-up & wig for the job. 

The dress is:

~ two underlayers of synthetic stretch fabric,

~ an attached petticoat,

~ strange synthetic top fabric that feels spongy when squeezed, 

~ microfoam sheeting from which I created the organic collar shapes. (I took four flat sheets, cut out large-ish circles using a dinner plate as a guide, then folded up each one individually before putting them together. I had to hand sew them on to the dress while Dori waited patiently and her roommate was attempting to sleep.)

GAH! I was very glad when the weekend was over and we headed back to Providence. I just can't focus in New York. It makes me anxious. I need a large room in an actual house with actual trees lining the streets and quiet at night. I think I'll be content with occasional trips and ordering everything else I need via the www. Lame, I know. 

NEXT ON THE MENU: 

* Red & black latex hat-lette with cream, black, and other secret details for Mosh (sending it out tomorrow!)

* Matthew Barney inspired headpiece. 

* CHIHULY CHIHULY CHIHULY (sketchbook coming tomorrow....)

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Travel-o-city pt.1

Trip ONE: 

Not this weekend, but the weekend before, my lovely lovely friend Lauren Jack & I (along with my roomie Danielle) did a shoot at the Newport Mansions. Featured in all its full frontal glory were two outfits that I made in collaboration with L. for her senior thesis. I wish I could tell you more but if I give away her concept she'll have my head on a pike. So, all I will say is that the one on the left is made of lavendar & cream pvc (which is plastic, btw) and the one on the right is made of white lace vinyl & pink semi-transparent plastic:

And I have to rant for a second and say how much I GRRRRR CANNOT STAND PVC! Not only is it cheap looking & rarely fits well, it is a HUGE pain to sew. Because of the plasticized coating, it sticks to the machine and will only feed properly if sandwiched between two sheets of wax paper. Personally, I think if you're going for the sexy wet fetish look you should save your pennies and buy nice latex. And I'm not saying that just 'cause I make it :)

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Trip TWO: 

Saturday. 

Ah, New York. I realize everytime I go there how much I don't actually like the place. I keep thinking it'll get better, that I'll like it more someday, but it doesn't happen. Granted, there is so much stuff in one place that it's an incredibly resourceful place to be, but it feels.....empty. dead. substance-less. Le sigh. 

That being said I did get some very productive things done. On the advice of my independent study prof. I checked out Alexander McQueen's store & Jeffrey's in the meatpacking district as well as saw the Gothic: Dark Glamour show at FIT. 

McQueen was....disappointing. I saw some small dirt spots on clothing as well as some loose stiching! I didn't understand! And I realized something: I love the fantasy of fashion, and I LOVED the spectacle that his A/W 2008 collection had, but on the rack the clothes were so...lifeless. They lacked energy and the sumptuousness of seeing them adorn the body. Bah.

His laser cut vinyl lace dress was a neat idea though:

It was interesting to contrast his store with H&M, which I decided to go to afterwards. Although McQueen's store smelled lovely, and had more interesting/avant-garde/fashion-forward pieces, I found that H&M had better sewn, albeit simpler, garments. Not sure why....maybe H&M has more orders, thus larger sweatshops, thus more labor of quality (?) vs. a designer who has less orders and perhaps a smaller workforce? It's a half formed thought but a good idea to pursue at a later date. 

IN RETALIATION, NEXT STOP FOR ME: WEARABLE INSTALLATIONS!

In contrast, the Dark Glamour show was so amazing! And I don't say this because of my weakness for gothy goth goth goth; Valerie Steele curated it and did a spectacular, well rounded show. (Side note: My first introduction to Steele was her book Fetish a few years ago and it is also extremely well written and cohesive.) The organization of it, as well as the pieces chosen, were right on the mark without being condescending or overly cliché.

Favorite designer I discovered: KEI KAGAMI

Gorgeous pieces with glass & medical inspiration. Mmmmmmm. I need to find out more about him. 

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Barney & Bowery

Doing lots, full update tomorrow. 

That is all. 

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SOCK-ET

My first latex sock!! Mom would be so proud. 

It's actually a seafoam/jade green- sorry for the crappy color balance :/ I'll post a better photo of it, its twin, & the matching girdle once I'm done with it all. I combined the seafoam with HOT PINK accents- for some reason the color combo reminds me of Miami. I've never been there but I like to imagine it during the hight of super modern art deco architecture.  Well, I like to imagine a lot of places like that. 

So, while I was inhaling lots of latex glue fumes I was thinking that the reason I enjoy working with latex is:

1. It's a challenge because it isn't taught in a traditional         school/educational setting, and it requires a different mindset & tools. And I greatly enjoy being different, can't lie. 

2. Rubber clothing is more blatantly sexual than any other kind of fabric. You can be covered head to toe but it's so tight it becomes a second skin, warm to the touch. I am drawn to this partially because I am fascinated by sexual-ness and partially because I like how people look like shiny cyber beings when they wear it. It's as if they become unearthly, unreal, which is funny in a way because rubber is a natural substance. (Granted, the colors are artificially added but the base is from a tree.)

Critique today...lots was said, good things to work from, the primary point of interest being: let the clothing dictate what kind of digital photo environment it wants to be in. Although if I start hearing voices from inanimate fabric telling me what to do you know what you'll have to do! 

In addition to my sock I cut out a royal blue suede hood. It's going to have giant ram horns on it. Sisters in pink & hunter green are also on their way....mmmm I loves me some animal skins!

Last word: think cow tongue. 

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Start Button

The first is always the hardest...

so, yes. 

I like to make wearable things for awesome people. Well, most of the time they are wearable. Many times they are of a see through & sheer variety. Perhaps not for the faint of heart. 

I take...unusual photos of unusual garments. I enjoy it 80% of the time except when things go horribly, horribly wrong and 5 hours of prep/shooting are almost completely wasted.  

I like plastic, 

  I like latex, 

     I like ethereal fabrics, 

        I like excessive/obsessive detailing, 

           I like absurd silhouettes.

I attack ceilings! 

A piece I made was published for the first time in Bizarre magazine in the UK in their October issue. I was so excited I showed everyone in my class like it was my unhatched child. If they weren't interested they did a lovely job hiding it.

Kinky K-outure!

I make lots of stuff for Mosh, who is incredible at posing and will take over the world doing so. She and I live a mile apart back in MD, true story, and collaborating with her makes me happy. I love working with people who know how to move and are willing to wear just about anything.

She's moving to LA in January and I'm hella jealous. Maybe one day I'll join her.

On the schedule for her:

~Red & black latex teardrop hat.

~Latex bunny. (It will include a hood- I FINALLY found a pattern!!!! Usually I make my own but fuck the human head is complicated!) Shooting with Emma Wilcox, who is innnncredddiiibllle.

~Electric pink &  seafoam green girdle with sock garters, matching socks, and a collar piece. Latex, of course. 

~Cream silk dress with lots of draping & matching 40's style hat. Did I mention M. has a thing for 40's & 60's style? Emphasis on the sexy 60's pillbox. Her bf is similar...I would love to design something for him. I want to do more menswear. Men need to be more decorated. 

Matching painted shoes!

What else is on the menu?

~Thesis work for school....boxes covered with sheer, echoing the body, layers of white covered with tiny buds, headdresses made of what remains, animal skins & bones, stealing Chihuly's visions.

Aerosonic!

~Collaborating with my good, good friend Lauren on her thesis work. Plastic plastic plastic...you would never guess what we've been up to. But you'll see. 

~3 outfits (two finished!) for the North American Hair Awards. They are: silk organza, plastic, latex, art deco inspired, all in one. Watch out!

~Purple latex & gold drip dress for Natalie Adams.

~Lingerie for me and for you, the lucky few.

I want to make things for Darenzia, Ulorin Vex, and Apnea. 

Did I mention I have a thing for fetish models? I love reading their blogs, true story. I would love even more designing for them.

Some philosophy....

*I love beautiful. 

    And there is nothing wrong with that.

*I love truth in my real life but I love fashion because of the fantasy, illusion, unreality.

    And there is nothing wrong with that.

*I think aesthetics are enough of a conceptual reason. 

    And there is nothing wrong with that.

*I have no desire to be a ready-to-wear designer who only has part of a hand in the final product.

*I look at my clothes as ART PIECES, which means two things: one, I am completely immersed, involved, & invested in them and two, steal my designs and I can sue yo' ass.

-I envy Alexander McQueen's sewing workshops but I'm not intimidated by his designs.

-Vivienne Westwood was the first designer I was ever aware of and I still think she is wonderful. No one does gay porno Tom of Finland style better. She pleases me. 

-I used to hate Viktor & Rolf but now I can't get enough.

-Leigh Bowery had it right from the start. 

For some reason blogging freaks me out a little. Maybe one day I'll sound witty but for now somewhat stream of consciousness will suffice. 

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