tiemeup tiemedown

I post about shoes too much.

Variations on a theme:

From left to right and top to bottom: Acne, Oak, Nine West, Aldo, Acne x2, Opening Ceremony, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair.

***I didn’t post a certain pair because they’ve already appeared everywhere else, much to my chagrin. It’s just a precaution, because I want them badly enough I might have to pre-order them before they sell out..

My Trip to NJ

Last Saturday I took a trip to the epic Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey. The most high-end mall for miles around, it has no JC Penney or a food court, but there is a Saks, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales, along with most of the designer flagship boutique locations in the state.

I hadn’t been to a mall for about six years, so I took full advantage of this out-of-town adventure.

Did you know that you’re allowed to drink alcohol on the NJ Transit trains? I was blown away by this little fact.

Here are a few real classy things I saw at the mall that day.

I saw a lady buy TEN of these exceptional $65 Juicy Couture cocktail ring keychains (really).

Couldn’t help but try this vile yet alluring Stam on..

Northern Warrior

(mithrandir3 at Flickr)

The ominously pointy spikes that Gaahl, singer of Gorgoroth is sporting in these pictures, combined with a long-term infatuation with dangerous looking metallic hardware inspired this outfit. The accessories are a bonus as they just might serve to self-defend in dire situations, but will more likely be used as conversation pieces.

Detailed shots of the top and the boots. I die..

Sequined hooded jacket, Sophie Hulme. Sectioned leather leggings, J. Dauphin. Martin Cohn’s spiked boots.

Accessories, clockwise from top right: Burberry spike necklace, Vivienne Westwood knuckle rings, Pamela Love talon cuff, Landver onyx spiked ring, Fallon spiked bangle, Made Her Think talon ring, Burberry spiked cuff, Hermes Collier De Chien cuff, patent leather spiked backpack of unknown origins.

misery

This over the top S/S ’01 McQueen show never fails to unsettle, in the best, most stimulating, tingle-inducing sense of the word.

This pretty much sums up how I feel about starting the new semester on Monday.

Horse Play

It is common knowledge that contemporary high end footwear has taken a turn towards the fetishistic, as observed in the proliferation of sky-high creations sent down the runways for the past few seasons.

Their popularity and thorough embrace by consumers can be explained by their ubiquitous presence in editorials and editors (helped along by indulgent, loving snaps on street-fashion websites). Common denominators amongst such footwear include black leather/ black patent, thick platforms, frighteningly spindly heels often curved at an ungodly angle, and bondage inspired straps, laces and buckles. What makes these shoes acceptable by the average consumer as opposed to those available at one’s local fetish boutique? Is it the veneer of prestige offered by a designer name and concept? What does it mean that women are more than willing to pair these shoes with everyday, casual apparel? Such shoes certainly look dangerous, perhaps providing a sense of empowerment and defiance, not to mention revealing transgressive desires.

I happened upon the PunitiveShoes shop one day. These really take the cake, going far into specific categories of sexually deviant footwear.

The Rancho is described as an “ankle pony boot”. What is an ankle pony boot, you ask?

“Line thought and created for PonyPlay & BDSM lovers. Styles handmanufactured with high quality materials for win the time and confortable shape for fast running. The hoof shape and the real horse iron will enshape the “posture” of the lucky dresser; the sound of the iron is the classical “clip-clop” everytime dreamed by ponygils and ponyboys.”
Well, I have no idea what means, but I’m assuming it has to do with a preference for ponies. Despite their intended purpose, can’t you just imagine one of the preternatural Parisian Vogue editors wearing them?

The Ascot bear resemblance to the immensely hyped Stella McCartney wedges.

Finally, I had no idea there was an active “ballet fetish” community out there, but I love the idea of it.

sweet love for planet earth

Rodarte’s Spring/Summer ’09 show was undoubtedly a top highlight of fashion week this past September.

Once again, the collection referred to a bewildering pastiche of inspirations, including land art, a decaying post-apocalyptic vision of the future earth, robots and androids, electrical wiring, and human anatomy.

The Mulleavy sisters possess the uncanny ability to take seeming arbitrary influences and from them, produce stunning yet cohesive collections, in which the references are never made too obvious.

The show’s production values were impeccable (thanks in part to the esteemed Bureau Batek), starting right off with the invitations.

Upon seeing it, I was puzzled. Then I held the plastic sheet to the light- there was faint trace of a ribcage.

it was printed on old X-ray negative film! It certainly made me excited about what was to come. Looking back, the printed medium gave the perfect hint about one of the prominent themes: human anatomical and skeletal structure, as seen in the slashed tops.

Credits: Autumn DeWilde

chapel of the chimes

When I first discovered Obesity & Speed, I literally experienced an adrenaline rush after poring through all the images on their site.

There was really nothing like it at the time , yet I felt like what they produced was everything I wanted but couldn’t easily find: intricate screenprints of skulls, ribcages, daggers, inverted crosses , draped and braided jersey dresses.

(You can tell there’s a theme going on here. Somehow, I’ve always been attracted to death and occult related imagery as long as their properly detailed. My friends know exactly what I like..I’m predictable but consistent.)

Unfortunately,it was pretty hard to find at the time so I missed out. Now though, If O&S ever reproduced any of it..

But I know that they’ll keep on progressing and churning out awesome designs.

I remember searching the name constantly for more details, but information was quite limited back then. How things have changed!

Baptême en Diable

Selected images from a rather notorious edit from Vogue Paris circa December ’06/January ’07.

Featuring Coco Rocha. Photographed by Terry Richardson.

The potential to offend makes it all the funnier..

Credits: scans from tFs.

These Moving Bodies, These Numb Processions

My (rather limited) knowledge on the enigmatic Carol Christian Poell has been gleaned from secondary sources. I’m enamored by his experimental clothes and awed by his unconventional techniques, but have yet to find the courage to examine them up close at Atelier. So I can only admire from afar. I don’t the means or ability to make any kind of meaningful insight.

But I was floored by these images from Spring/Summer ’03 in Milan.

Click here for a comprehensive review of the presentation, and here for a video.

horror business

It is unfortunate how the widespread over-usage and misappropriation of skull/skeleton/related iconography has resulted in a tiresome cliche. Several exceptions lie in novel renderings of the form, an example being laser cut-outs.

Pleasure Principle‘s line of cut-out pieces are already renown:

I have the t-shirt, it is a beloved item. So much that I almost never wear it because it is very delicate and I am…accident prone.

Some might remember Loeffler Randall’s skull flats from a past season. I love how the cut-outs provide a suggestion of toe cleavage (which some people enjoy and some people detest).

Now that the skulls have been “done to death” , perhaps the masses will move on mummies?

Case in point:

Zucca’s “Tencel Gauze Jersey Pants” bring to mind the bandage wraps of the stereotypical mummy as seen in popular culture.

As much as they appeal to me personally, somehow I doubt mummies will catch on.