May 25, 2009

cool like a nighttime swimming pool

like i always say, i enjoy adding really teched out accessories to a lo-fi outfit...unfortunately i lost my beloved air rifts (nike's infamous splittoe maryjane sneakers) early this year so i'm on the hunt for another pair preferably in red along with more sneakers like the nike kukini and reebok pump fury.



May 22, 2009

>>>>>>>>>>---------

I've been thinking about how i want to develop my style
I want my clothes to have a sort of deep, earthy feeling

casual and comfortable, colorful
strange
happy

warm


full of character


there are people who can dress in a certain way
that evokes a wave of emotions and memories and images all at once
this feeling, this quality surrounds them in a very natural way
as though the clothes they wear are simply an extension of who they are

nothing more, nothing less


a while ago i saw this boy
i couldn't identify a single label he was wearing
instead i saw and felt a collection of things
like

the wind, old curtains, sand, pearls, kaleidoscopes,
sailboats, treasure chests.....


it was very special
very inspiring

i appreciate people bringing something beautiful to the streets


my wardrobe right now is too coherent
too based on labels
lame
i want to collect different, more anonymous clothes
maybe i need to start going vintage shopping again

i want to dress like a scrapbook

May 21, 2009

dopest ghost in town

do you remember Casper in KIDS? my friend and i had a weird obsession with him in junior high


im sort of loving the rising sun on the japanese flag at the moment. it might have been inspired by the stupid gangsters in Madness in Bloom? trying to look for pieces from commedesgarcons ss07 to satisfy this need for red circles.




i kept forgetting to mention, i got those bernhard willhelm+camper sandals
when i saw them in person i had to go with the pink, they are so soft and bubblegum-y and sweet (ill try to update photo of all this stuff soon) theyre like the ugly fat cousin of THE balenciagas i love...although obviously i love anything balenciaga



speaking of which bernhard willhelm's AW09 boots are SO GOOD. short boots that are a sort of docmartens/timberland hybrid with leather straps instead of shoelaces. these will definitely be on my feet come winter

LOVE kimonos. i wanna wear one to my graduation. kimonos are all about mixing patterns and color, bold and subtle, traditional and modern.... shiina ringo always looks incredible in them


and im getting a thrasher hoodie for sure
drop

i like geodesic domes. something about how theyre round yet made up of triangles
tomi & cherry



still feeeelin this old marjan pejoski ad. i wish MP had more stockists here...

i cant get over how incredible Ranpo Jigoku (Ranpo's Noir) was! i found out about the costume designer Michiko Kitamura through this film. words cannot describe the way her costumes complimented the erotic grotesque-ness of the film.
in one story she used a lot of loose drapey white/beige-ish cotton and linen pieces that were very suzuki takayuki/paul harnden and those images have really stuck in my mind... her costumes are very modern and yet there is always something distinctly japanese about them and i guess that is what makes her so special



and while we're on the subject, here's another costume designer I've been obsessed with for a while: Hibino Kozue. i found out about her when last yr when i happened to catch a tv show for kids with OUTSTANDING costumes. i was shocked really. it was what, 4pm? and i see something like this on the screen.

just...wow. isn't it great to be able to find extreme visual stimulation outside the realm of silly music videos and arthouse movies? the program is called "nihongo de asobo" and it won the Good Design Award for 2004.

saw the documentary Paris is Buring (1990) in class and loved it. i'm a sucker for 80s soul, i get very nostalgic listening to that stuff even though i wansnt even born yet



the Ichikawa sisters have such mesmerizing facial features.

younger sis older sis

May 14, 2009

I'm a smooth operator

1. What's your current obsession?
Blue lipstick and dinosaurs
2. What are you excited about?
Upcoming documentary shooting at Tokyo Design Festa this sat & sun
3. Do you nap a lot?
I’m all about the power nap and siestas under the sun
4. Who was the last person you hugged?
My cat corona
5. Which animal would you be?
An elephant
6. What's for dinner?
Mexican, hopefully
7. What was the last significant thing you bought?
Ktz mesh/satin bodycon dress
8. What are you listening to right now?
Swing Out Sister
9. What's your favorite weather?
Midsummer. It's unbearably hot and humid, the sun's beating down on your back, your shoulders are burning you're sweating like crazy the cicadas are humming you're kind of dizzy but you don't want the day to end...
10. What's your favorite game?
Cops and robbers
11. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you want it to be?
Tokyo fosho
12. What's the last movie you watched?
Ranpo's Noir. It was scary, erotic, grotesque, and so good.
13. A book you're currently reading?
Flipping through mom's book The Art of Maurice Sendak
14. How tall are you?
I'm a 5'1 monster
15. What would you like to have in your hands right now?
Grandma
16. What are you dreaming of?
Fuji Rock Festival in July
17. What would you like to get rid of?
Bills bills bills
18. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
Morocco
19. What did you want to become as a child?
A mermaid. I've always loved water. Growing up on the Gold Coast does that to you
20. What's your most challenging goal right now?
Being a good person. I'm not even kidding. I want to be a polite, respectable adult. I'm so sick of seeing people smoke on the street or litter or slam the door shut during class like it's no big deal...Since when was acting like a moron the new cool thing? Remembering simple manners has a lot to do with being stylish. Careless and rude behavior in public is ugly and unsexy as hell.
21. What's your favorite food?
Mom's cooking
22. What are you wearing right now?
Ancient tee with a fat dude and a wolf saying “leader of the pack”
23. Which language do you want to learn?
Italiano
24. What do you look for in a friend?
Spontaneity, kindness, good fun and good sense
25. Who do you want to meet in person?
Haruki Murakami
26. What's your favorite type of music?
Brazilian chill, bossa nova, lounge, electro jazz
27. What's your favorite piece of clothing in your closet?
Love them all
28. What's your dream job?
Architect
29. Any favorite models?
Mariacarla, Tao, Daria, Josh Beech...dunno really. Don't really look to models for inspiration. I'm rooting for Cassi on AusNTM cycle5.
30. What would you mostly likely spend $100 on?
Could use a good vintage tee for summer
31. What would you like an endless supply of?
Sunlight.
32. Girl crush?
Soo many. Rinko Kikuchi, Shiina Ringo, Bjork, Samantha Morton, Britney Spears, Chloe Sevigny, Brooke Shields...If I were a designer I'd have a new muse everyday
33. Favorite designers?
Miuccia Prada, Nicholas Ghesquiere, Bernhard Willhelm, Raf Simons, Rei Kawakubo, Helmut Lang the one the only the original
34. Fashion pet peeve?
A revolting bag added to an otherwise ok outfit. white shoes with black hosiery
35. Do you admire anyone’s style?
Honestly, not really. If I admire anyone it's for how they present themselves and not so much for how they dress. But 90s Chloe Sevigny comes pretty close to my definition of style icon
36. Describe your personal style.
Different
37. Final comment?
Let's sprint down an empty street at night, in heels

May 8, 2009

my favorite color b l u e

im dying to see the movie "mizu no onna" (woman of water) starring asano tadanobu and one of my favorite japanese singers, UA. it's supposed to be about a woman who owns a bathhouse? the entire film is shot in this beautiful serene eerie blue light, it looks gorgeous.






ryan wallace's paintings are incredible. they have such presence and yet i feel that if i were to hang one up in my room, it would just sort of blend in with everything else. so powerful but soft. also, they're blue.


i like to look at james cooper's underwater photography and fantasize about skinnydipping in a big bright blue bottomless bubbly sunlit pool


hans hartung


i grew up reading my parents'pierre et gilles coffeetable books like picturebooks...not sure if its the best stuff for a 5 yr old but i think that partly explains my strange love for homoerotic christian imagery, sailors, water, and the color blue



chagall was my mamas favorite



水色 (blue) by UA

May 4, 2009

please know this japanese label part 3 (i dedicate this to fashionpirates)

Hi arabelle, do you know Anrealage? i thought you might like it. the designer is a graduate of my school.

















I've blogged about anrealage before but i think this stuff is definitely worth reposting.
I love when clothing has a homely/handmade quality. Lately Im finding myself increasingly bored with anything that is overly smooth, straight and intact...if that makes any sense.Flaws in clothing can be so fun...embroidery, raw edges and patchwork never get old...