GOODBYE OLD FRIENDS posted by J

This a memorial to four pieces of clothing that I slowly wore to shreds. Goodbye old friends, goodbye.

House of Holland by L

The strange thing about the House of Holland is its bombastic, yet pleasant merge of seemingly nonsense printed phrases on shirts that vaguely remind you of the early/mid 90’s, with vivid subject matter that made statement that you were simply indifferent to. Hell, you bought it because you thought it was cool. By utilizing vivid prints with statements like “ Flick Yer bean For Agyness Deyn” or “ Give Us A Blow Dais Lowe” you will inevertantly receive numerous inquires regarding the tee.

This may elicit as response from you (while embodying a pure sense of cleverly masked announce) “I simple love the shirt.” However, from time to time you will encounter a few well chosen enlighten individuals that will recognize that you are giving a nod to paramount, revolutionary and fresh creative individuals within the ever so capricious realm of fashion. Of course this is simultaneously done in a sharp tongue in cheek manner. You may not be wearing a tacky mundane logo, whose party of “high fashion” publicists has successful convinced you to be their unpaid product campaign.

The collection is divided into 3 subgroup (i.e. Fashion Groupies, One Trick Pony, and Stephanie & Axl) are playful, candy coated displays of brilliant simplicity that convey a sense of childish vitality and seemingly adult content. Henry Holland, the brain child of the mischievous apparel, set out to make uber hyper-hip tees that are utterly delightful and, again, simply brilliant. Who cares if it is super cool. In fact, it’s the point. Besides, 15 years from now when some disillusioned kid stumble on a few of these tees either in our closet or the thrift store rack, they will encounter an opportunity to venture into the the world in which we are so disparately attempting to define ourselves.

OCD. So much to BLOG about...

OsCarDelarenta

It's cause I have no one to talk to. So I'm pretending that Mr.eMachine is listening.

Please check out Oscar de la Renta's Resort 2009 collection. I just wanna thank him for bringing color back. It's been to muted for too long. And I want every piece. The shapes are so lady like for a twentysomething.

TAKING IT BACK posted by J

During my latest adventures with the Internet I found a website a rather amusing website that helped kill some time. It can be funny, offensive, sexy, curious, and very inspiring. LP Cover Lovers (you can find the link in the blog roll) has it all. There are sooooo many to look at. All sorts of different categories and styles. Gay, Lounge, Drugs, Soundtracks, Fashion, Truckers, Classical, and fun stuff I've never heard of before. Quite amazing. Below are some of my favorites.

DRAWING IN CUT-OUTS posted by J

School just isn't for anyone. Bernie Reid, a London based and Edinburgh-Born (Scotland's for me!), is proof of that. Reid is all self-taught. Luck probably has something to do with it along with knowing the right people. It' always about who you know.

Reid's work is mostly stencil work with spray paint, but has started to include mixed media collage with them. He got his break when I-D Magazine positively reviewed a collaboration he did with stylist and fashion designer, Beca Lipscombe, and photographer, Andy Shaw. Since then he has worked with such clients as Stella McCartney, Dazed & Confused Magazine, Boxfresh, and many others. He has done many portraits of celebrities and musicians and graphic work for albums. Reid has also just started his own series of wall papers (pic below).

more info: www.skinnydip.co.uk

Band of Ousiders by L

Of recent, I have embraced the brilliance of Scoot Sternberg’s clothing line “Band of Outsiders”. Besides the fact that he showcases his clothing on his website with Polaroids (definitely a wow factor for me and my partners), Band of Outsiders maintains a clean sense and sensibility of causal formal wear. For brevity sake, dressing up should not be so complicated!

Like his staple predecessor, Junya Watanabe, Mr. Outsider archetypical style reminds us why we all adore Americana-in one way or another. American style , which is distinctly different from Italian, French, and/or English, find a way to incorporate a lackadaisical element without looking uncoiffed. I admire the lack of pomp and circumstance which doesn’t muddles the presence of well choice classic staples that are neither pretentious nor overstated. In he own words Mr. Sternberg noted the line to be “Brook Brothers boys’ department circa 1970”…Brilliant! You see, rocking a pair of Sperry Top-Sider does not automatically mean pink popped collar Lacrosse polo. Know the difference!

Think Vampire Weekend “Mansard Roof.”

YSL LOGO posted by J

Typeface and typography are interesting to me right now and in my recent research i found out this sad and unexpected fact.

I know just about everyone has seen the Yves Saint-Laurent logo, right? If you haven't then i have nothing to say to you. In my opinion, and most likely many others, it's one of the most iconic logo's of all time. The logo printed purses, luggage, and accessories have been immortalized by such artists as Stephen Sprouse and Takashi Murakami. But does anyone know who designed the famous "YSL" logo?

It was a Ukrainian-French painter, commercial poster artist, and typeface designer, Adolphe Mouron Cassandre. He was born in 1901. Became famous for many of his bold, well designed posters and typeface. He designed fonts such as the Bifur (pictured to the left) in 1929, the sans serif, Acier Noir in 1935, and an all purpose font called Peigot in 1937. Later he fought in the French Army against the Germans in World War II until France fell. Then he worked on painting and building theater sets. In 1963 he designed the famous "YSL" logo. Sadly, he wasn't getting that many commissions and work was scarce, causing it bouts of depression which led to his suicide in 1968.

Sad. R.I.P. Adolphe Mouron Cassandre. Thankfully he left behind his art and a much desired and iconic logo

FASHION SMASH'N posted by J

For all you men who want some fresh looks, you check out New Dandyism. They carry a bunch of different brands such as MHI by Miararishi, Obediant Sons, Rittenhouse, and You Must Create. I'm saving up as we speak for this navy blue cardigan from You Must Create. Really nice stuff. Simple and stylish. The price points can be a little high for the average joe, but I feel there are some really strong investments in these collections.

www.newdandyism.com