Eye Candy - Dimepiece Designs

I have to say some of my favorite pieces consistently come from Laura and Ashley of Dimepiece. I recently purchased their "Hold Me Tight" dress that I was lusting over for weeks.

At first I was hesitant to wear it out, since it could send a certain signal ("Slap my ass!"). But fashion is about being fearless and I wore it with pride with my Jeffrey Campbell "Exam" platform boots (on sale now, damnit!).

I went out to the to the launch party for Nylon Magazine's 'Denim Issue' sponsored by Express that was on the rooftop of the London Hotel in Hollywood. To my relief (and perhaps disappointment) no one drunkenly tried to grab my ass. One cute blonde approached me and ever so politely asked if she could place her hand on the ass hand on my dress. Of course I said yes, it's nice to see manners still exist in LA, even if it's asking to touch a stranger's butt. Suffice to say the event was not that exciting and considering it was celebrating denim, the issue's covergirl Drew Barrymore didn't even wear jeans! But at least we got free jeans from Express and my friend Job later determined they were mom jeans.

Amazing singer/songwriter extraordinaire Bonnie McKee (responsible for all the Katy Perry songs you love), and me doing a photo fail. Can't even see my Hold Me Tight dress or boots, who cares about Express!

But back to the graphics at hand: what really blows me away are the bar-raising shoots Dimepiece puts together and graphic undulations they undergo for their lookbooks. Here's just a taste of their unbelievably sexy, irreverent, future-born absurdist-couture shoot from Spring 2010. Let me make love to your graphic designer, can't wait to see fall!

See the full lookbook for even more non-sequitur design to lust over here.

Read a full review of Dimepiece in my article for Style in Progress magazine here (last image on the post).

Down to the Knitty Gritty

The long and short of knits this fall, we find our crocheted consorts maxed out in sweaters and scarves, vamped up in body suits and reinterpreted in dresses. Despite dying to be taken off the runway and straight to the ski slope, these pieces are better worn for day lounging inside the lodge, attempting to make eye contact with foreign ski instructors and pretending to read Gravity's Rainbow. Who'd ever thought cable knit could be so sexy?

Anouk Lepere, Elle Belgium, Sept 2010

Oatmeal Scoopa Scarf by Yokoo, via Etsy

Chanel, D & G, Sacai - all FW 2010

Sonia Rykiel, Dolce & Gabbana, Missioni - all FW 2010

Maison Martin Margiela, Gareth Pugh, Chanel - all FW 2010

Personal faves: D & G dress + body suit from the Elle shoot, Sacai sweater, Pugh sweater.

No need for lovers when you have knits like these to keep you warm. (I'll probably retract that statement when I'm alone, ruining some fabulous piece with tearful sobbing in a few months.) Now if only the sun would go away sooner...

Levi's "Go Forth" Campaign

I don't watch much TV, so I'm probably far behind on this, but I was blown away by this 2009 Levi's commercial that is part of their current "Go Forth" campaign. Directed by Cary Fukunaga, the TV spot was created by the geniuses at Wieden+Kennedy, the same ad agency responsible for the viral Old Spice Guy videos. The narration is believed to be a recording of poet Walt Whitman himself, reciting his piece, "America" around 1890. 

Levi's is in the unique position to have a significant stake in American history, because they invented the basic jeans design that became essential to the laborers who build this country. It's hard to believe the now omnipresent jean was only sold as workwear up until the 1950's. That was the decade when jeans became a fashion item, a staple within the first American youth subcultures like greasers and teddy boys. So when railroad workers, miners, ranchers, lumberjacks and the like toiled and endured the hardships that strengthened and defined America, Levi's was there with them--interesting to think about. Read my interview with Adriano Goldschmied to learn more about denim's historical significance.


But back to the commercial, while a ploy to sell fashion, it beautifully captures the essence of America and what it means to be a part of it--the worker, the common man. Maybe I'm just geeking out, but I appreciate the immense creativity that goes into bringing such gravitas to a simple pair of pants.




On the flip side, who can forget this provocative Levi's commercial directed by Michel Gondry. According to Gondry's Wiki page, his "Drugstore" spot holds the record for "Most Awards Won By a TV Commercial" in the 2004 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.





Whatever you're doing Levi's, keep doing it.

NYC Belligeratti

Mouthpiece of Los Angeles Fashion for Europe

A few months ago, I was commissioned to write several articles about the state of Los Angeles denim and fashion for Style In Progress magazine based in Austria. Myself and my good friend, art photographer Job Piston, set out on a interesting day touring several places around Los Angeles in a stretch Escalade limousine full of buyers from the top boutiques in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

This trip included a tour of the Rose Bowl Flea Market's best denim inspirations led by denim guru Adriano Goldschmied, who I later interviewed at the Modrian Hotel in Hollywood. Adriano is a truly fascinating and inspiring man, building multiple empires from nothing and is still predicting the future of denim well into his 60s.

Monkey in the middle

Click through to read more:

Chanel Fall 2010 Campaign

Chanel gets fringed and fuzzy for their Fall 2010 campaign, with models Freja Beha Erichsen and Abbey Lee Kershaw who is just everywhere this season.

Shot by Chanel designer Karl Largerfeld himself, of course. Luckily this campaign was shot in March in NYC, so these ladies didn't get all flustered in fur during the summer heat wave. On the other hand, Elle Creative Director and "The City" star Joe Zee, willingly took to the streets in the summer, and made headlines wandering around New York in a FW 2010 Chanel fur suit in temperatures pushing 100 degrees! 

Publicity stunt or an abominable Joe-man bikini attack?

But it looks like his random-acts-of-fashion antics worked: Zee is now following in the footsteps of former Elle Fashion Director Nina Garcia, developing his own fashion critique show for the Sundance Channel. I wonder if Elle is pissed their core staff keeps leaving to be on TV?

But back to the beauties: Abbey Lee may be all over the place, but I'm totally loving Freja after seeing these candid photos from before their Chanel shoot:

Freja's got a natural eye for flawless urban rocker style, while Abbey, well, looks like a kid wearing her mom's designer clothes (sorry!).  Having a total girl crush right now. 

P.S. Sorry boys, Freja swings the other way (score ladies!)

See more fantastic candid photos from this shoot at The Greyest Ghost

Kinda love seeing photos of incredible models looking imperfect :).

Alexander Wang Fall RTW 2010 Video

Love, love, love

LOVE / LUST: Ford Mustang Boss 302 - 1969 x 2012

LOVE:

2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302

What I would wear in it (of course):

Leather Moto Jacket: Balmain; Bodysuit: Willow; Aviators: DSQUARED2; Leather Shorts: Phillip Lim; Rocco Mini Duffle: Alexander Wang; Pyrite Rings: Rettore, Zulasurfing, Nektar de Stagni; Admire Ankle Booties: Acne.

LUST:

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302

What I would wear with the 1969 model:

Snakeskin Cat Eye Sunglasses: Linda Farrow Luxe; Fur Coat: Burberry Prorsum; Striped Crop Tee: Metropark; Leather Gloves: Diesel; High Waisted Shorts: Current/Elliott; Leopard Wedge Booties: Giuseppe Zanotti; Tassel and Padlock Bag: Topshop.

STYLE SWOON: 1960s Jacques Dutronc

Jacques Dutronc, "Les Cactus" - 1967

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Can We Just...

...sit back and admire for a second? True Blood stars Alexander Skarsgård and real-life married couple Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer get bloodied up and bothered for the latest issue. (Anna needs to move that leg!)

CLICK THROUGH TO READ MORE:

Beauty of Seville: Jessica Stam in Harper's Bazaar

My favorite model Jessica Stam goes capering about Seville, Spain in the August 2010 issue of Harper's Bazaar, shot by Alexi Lubomirski. This editorial makes me want to revisit Seville in the summertime, I was there last year in December. The city was still gorgeous with it's Christmas embellishments, but not as vibrant and lively as it is in warmer weather when people flood the streets.

I'm loving the rich colors and lush, flowy fabrics in this shoot that create a fantastic melange of both modern and traditional Spanish style.