Shelly Steffee :: Video
In February of 2007 Editor in Chief Kelley Quan and I saw one of Shelly Steffee's collections for the first time: her futuristic ultra-structured clothes in glacial tones made a real impression on us (even through the madness of fashion week.)
We never did forget about Shelly Steffee. We watched with quiet awe when her Marlene Dumas-colored mesh leggings were unveiled for Spring 2009, we listened while us about her participation in Food-to-table and in-store art collaborations, and are still fanatics of her most recent Fall 09 Equestrian-flavored collection.
In her latest vision Steffee maintains the same clear affinity to experimental structures (a quality to which we were introduced long ago), but also exhibits a softness that both subverts and illuminates the harder-edged technical scaffolding of her clothes. View fullscreen feature.
The BUZZ
A Band Apart
This short fashion film takes it's title from the Jean-Luc Godard's film 'Bande a part', (renamed 'Band of Outsiders' for the English version) and is heavily inspired by the infectious dance sequence within the film called the Madison. Stripped down, the movie is about sex and money (aren't they all) where sex = a love triangle and money = a robbery the three are planning. For this rendition, the motives are the same but the crime is victimless. View fullscreen feature.
Black Tie Optional
Black Tie Optional
'...people must be very distinguished to look well in black...' -Edward Bulwer-Lyttonn, 1828
One of our favorite (and omnipresent) trends on the Fall 2008 catwalk was menswear(ish) pieces for the girls, specifically, plays on the formal dress, such as the tuxedo and its sharp lapels.
The tuxedo was born in the 1920s; it was a double-breasted reincarnation of the 1880s dinner jacket tailored to the tastes of then Prince of Wales. When the fashion traveled from Europe to America, it landed in Tuxedo Park, the millionaire playground of New York, where the new double-breasted formal wear was sported at small dinner parties. Pierre Lorillard popularized the tailless dinner jacket and named it the 'tuxedo' at an autumn ball. more...
Tarina Tarantino
Tarina Tarantino wears many hats (or shall I say clips?) She is a former makeup artist, the Empress of an accessories kingdom that extends to Milan, and has recently added the title of short filmmaker to the list (alongside her husband Alfonso Campos.) Utilizing the aesthetic of musical camp from the '60s, the Tarina Tarantino moviette is part punk and part arts and crafts nerdette. Your taste for Tarina depends on your feelings about 'vintage' knick-knacks... (If you like sparkly things, you're in.) more...
Siouxsie Sioux :: 'Into A Swan' Video
'Into a Swan', the first single release from the new album 'Mantaray' is an anthemic track, with a super-catchy chorus and enough hardness that should ensure Siouxsie Sioux still goes over well with disaffected students.
Other artists with similar longevity might well wince: many could only aspire to the consistency with which Siouxsie has played out her career and how she still looks pretty much the same as in her sexy youth; with a touch less-than-goth make-up on the 'Swan' cover; poured into shiny pants in the video, sporting poison lips, nails and lashes. more...