crtk001 fashion blog

stylezeitgeist magazine

2011-11-08T17:02:00.004-05:00

stylezeitgeist has released their own publication. i've thumbed through it and it seems pretty good. undoubtable it has amazing content as the community of stylezeitgeist is the founders of this whole school of fashion they had pretty much unlimited access. the boutique research and development here in toronto is now carrying it so i'm going to get a copy soon. when i do i guess i'll comment on the design of it. seems how you would expect it to be, minimal, lots of black with some "untraditional" typography. when i think about this area of fashion, aesthetics, and design i always think there has to be such an emphasis on typography. going to the roots of quality and craftsmanship, great texture on the paper stock it necessary, and typography fits in there with the idea that classic faces were hand cut and carved there's such a strong history of craftsmanship in there. so i think classically formed, balanced letterforms are the perfect and only way to express the workmanship in the clothes. i'll muse on this a lot more once i get my copy to look closely to it and really get into it.

fingerless

2011-11-08T16:44:00.003-05:00

by carol christian poell

boris bidjan saberi s/s 2012

2011-07-14T19:03:00.003-04:00

Boris Bidjan Saberi has been my biggest obsession lately. BBS S/S 2012

song for the mute: milieu II

2011-07-14T18:48:00.004-04:00

Preview from Song for the Mute's new collection for spring/summer 2012. Titled Milieu II its not much of a departure from their last collection, Milieu. Still a focus on sand, and neutral colours and breathable, natural fabrics. Hints to the asymmetrical dip that they've feature in every collection, becoming a mark of their work. The collection focuses on an exploration of technique in cuts and dyeing, and will feature their first jewelry collection that was collaborated with the company Henson.

s/s schedule

2011-06-22T13:49:00.002-04:00

inspirations

2011-06-21T19:27:00.005-04:00

damir doma is giving us a small preview of what is coming soon for his mens s/s 2012 collection by sharing with us his inspiration boards.

132 5.

2011-06-15T17:58:00.002-04:00

continuing with exploring mathematics and math comes the most amazing work and project from issey miyake, the 132 5. project. miyake worked with computer scientist jun mitani to created 10 pieces (shirts, dresses, etc.) that when folded flat create the patterned geometric shapes. this comes as the first major project from miyake's established "reality lab". the team at reality lab comprises of miyake, a textile engineer, manabu kikuchi, a pattern engineer, sachiko yamamoto, and several young designers.

the name, 132 5. was born from the above-mentioned process. each of the numerals has a special significance. the numeral “1” refers to a single piece of cloth, while “3” refers to its three-dimensional shape. the following “2” comes from the fact that a 3D piece of material is folded into a two-dimensional shape, and the “5” separated by a single space refers to the time between when the folded forms are made and people actually put them on, giving birth to clothing. the numeral “5” also signifies our hope that this idea will have many other permutations.

company

2011-06-01T02:02:00.000-04:00

1.618

2011-05-27T00:57:00.006-04:00

i am nerding out over this bag, don't think i need to explain why. the bison leather 1.618 bag by ma+.

obscur f/w 2011

2011-05-22T11:34:00.003-04:00

talking about the new obscur flaghsip store i realized i never got around to posting their f/w 2011 colelction. its dark, textured leather, every aspect of this genre. i do really lone some of the very bold silhouettes though the sharp corners and wrapping triangles. this first coat too also just looks the the epitome of good tailoring. really wish i could get to that flagship to see it in person. after discovering serpentine and seeing the julius you realize nothing beats touching and seeing it in person.

a song in the dark

2011-05-21T01:48:00.007-04:00

just had to share this. beautiful ballet performed by the royal new zealand ballet, a song in the dark, choreographed by andrew simmons to the music of one of my absolute favourites, philip glass. just over a year ago i got the privilege to see glass pieces, choreographed by jerome robbins (set to philip glass's music) and it was a feast for the eye. the minimalistic almost no design set design for the ballet and the repetition and pattern within the dance was just an overwhelming almost sublime experience. i would love for the national ballet to do this one, i've been dying for more ever since glass pieces.

lindwall at serpentine

2011-05-20T21:59:00.003-04:00

david lindwall finally available in toronto thanks to the serpentine. this makes me so happy.

mmvx

2011-05-20T21:23:00.003-04:00

toronto surprisingly has quite a darker side to it. thomas, heather lawton, sid neigum, the serpentine (the only store in canada wear you can buy julius) and now this new company mmvx is coming about. the site says clothes are to come but for now this necklace has become available. nothing too new, seems kind of alex & chloe and chronicles of never like, but still toronto keeps giving me hints of hope.

obscur flagship

2011-05-16T19:45:00.004-04:00

obscur opened up their first flagship store at hagagatan 30, stockholm this past week. like the line the store design seems unfinished which goes with the raw edges of a lot of the garments. low light industrial space, seems like my dream studio. unfortunately being in toronto and busy so in the city i doubt i'll get a chance to see the space for those of you who can its open 11am - 5pm weekdays, and have styling appointments available. if you can make it i highly suggest you do and tell me all about it.

inspiration boards

2011-05-16T14:43:00.004-04:00

damir doma by russian vogue

julius x raygun

2011-04-25T16:40:00.003-04:00

i am in no way really a fan of david carson. i find him, himself too in love with himself and that he enjoys lying about his design education in order to try to mystify himself. with that out of my system, raygun magazine however was a cultural phenomenon. it's grungy underground work in the 90s is like the design and fashion work i love now. tatsuro horikawa found that connection and used it in the s/s 2011 collection for julius "ontological anarchism". so while my distain for carson remains i am really enjoying these raygun print shirts from julius.

boris bidjan saberi f/w 2011

2011-04-09T17:37:00.003-04:00

it's actually surprisingly hard to find media on boris bidjan saberi. nice short video of detail shots of the f/w 2011 collection shot by scoute over at scoute.org/blog. looking for more media on past collections since i plan on bbs being a large part of my thesis.

thesis proposals

2011-04-09T00:08:00.006-04:00

i have been hugely m.i.a. lately, thats due to being swamped under school work, but my semester is just about over so i have some time to love this blog again (and give it a facelift to go along with my new anarchist type style i've been loving). here's one of the many projects i did, its just a small book i needed to hand in proposing my thesis ideas. would love some input.

inaisce f/w 2011

2011-02-22T21:37:00.003-05:00

inaisce is just brilliant when it comes to cuts. raw edges or structured curves that just wrap and seem to enclose you. there's definitely a hard stiffness to their work that when you put in on you feel like can take on anything (or anyone). this collection has some more playful cuts and lines giving some pieces an intense structural look. i am still dying, after first seeing this like two months ago, over that grey hooded jacket thats so strong. and that last black coat is just insane! i can't pinpoint it but it has a very specific resonance with my comic book obsession. can't wait to see and try on this collection.

complex new arrivals

2011-02-22T21:23:00.004-05:00

the spring/summer 2010 collection is now available to buy online on their official store. the looks are more...advanced than their old pieces, from looking like altered tees and to more full looks, a much more bohemian feel. the company is definitely expanding but not in the direction i expected it to. the latest collection for f/w too me looked nothing like the old complex, it was very bohemian and to be completely honest i wasn't a huge fan. i feel like i'm losing a child, this line that i coveted and loved and supported for so long. there's lots of pieces from old and new collections on the online store, and luckily for me they are frequent to sample sales in toronto where i can buy old pieces. i however do love the way they photograph their pieces for the online store so i just wanted to share some of those.

white washed

2011-02-22T20:48:00.003-05:00

my muse and the poster boy of my thesis andrej pejic shot by juergen teller

damir doma f/w 2011

2011-02-22T20:16:00.004-05:00

here's the video from the damir doma runway. first thought, damir doma always has this mentality it seems of make a piece of clothes...then make it several sizes to big for anyone. it's a sensibility that i feel only works if you wear the look head to toe. however damir doma is one of the most interesting designers i see. in every show there's that oversized look and long proportions. often in wraps and unfinished ends it reminds me of buddhist monks. this collection was still those main oversized and long fit, however not monks, but business men in suits. is it a combining of spirituality and corporate life? such inspirations wouldn't surprise me from damir. the whole collection though from the oversized puff jackets to the re-imagined dress shirts remind me of raf simons back in his redux/new world order days. again there's that school of fashion from antwerp, the belgium school of fashion, that all seem to touch off of each other's work. despite how much i love the collection, i feel for me to actually wear any of it i'll need xx-smalls, then try to shrink them a bit.

below is the preview video that was released before the collection that i missed. it's short but but makes for some nice imagery, well worth a watch.

edward steichen

2011-02-22T20:11:00.001-05:00

odyn vovk f/w 2011

2011-02-22T19:42:00.006-05:00

odyn vovk always delivers what's expected. another line in the growing mass of designers who remind me a lot of older rick owens. and it delivered just as promised from the great promo video they released. gritty, street fashion with an artisan touch. i keep saying a lot of these designers look very l.a., thats based on my soul ideas of l.a. being owens and concrete. a mix of long wraps with unfinished ends and second skin leather jackets. odyn vovk this season really took a step out from streetwear company to a really premium fashion line. the show opened and closed so strongly, the last two looks are my favourite. those are the looks that looked more inspired and avant garde then the well made dress shirts and drop crotch shorts that typify high end street fashion. while i grew up in a little suburb and detest all the well-to-do kids masquerading as street scum that i see in the toronto scene, i love the idea of the streets. i've always lived vicariously through fashion. no matter what the style it's always a fantasy, and odyn vovk is one that just lets me revel in mine.

buck skin

2011-02-15T21:22:00.001-05:00

i've wanted a nice tote bag and surprisingly zara came out with this leather and buck fur bag. only 180 cad. x dies x.

less than nil

2011-02-15T21:12:00.004-05:00

so i have a new tumblr where i've been cataloguing and writing about my inspirations for my upcoming thesis. it's also why my post here lately have been few. why i love black, fashion, minimalism are there. a tribute to mcqueen i wrote is up there. follow me if you would like. there's also just picture of my inspirations and previews of projects i'm working on! the link is: lessthannil.tumblr.com

(the "less than nil" thing i've had snuck into some stuff will also be explained at some point)

rad by rad hourani collection #3

2011-02-15T21:04:00.003-05:00

the video is up to watch from the rad by rad show that was livestreamed earlier today. the collection is much nicer than his last one, back to a lot more constructed and slimmer silhouette. like before the collection became immediately available online right after the show. one thing through, the price point for this collection has gone up quite a bit, making it very close too and if not the same ballpark as his main collection. so is it still really a "diffusion" line, i dont know. it is a lot more pieces from rad countering his last main collection that was only 6 pieces. of course the its all available on his official online shop: radhouani.com/

odyn vovk preview

2011-02-08T08:45:00.003-05:00

odyn vovk is an interesting line. it's very rugged, very old rick owens, very l.a. underground. there's a rough edge in simply how the clothes are put together, the hem lines and cuts seem harsh. though it drapes and wraps and wrinkles it looks quite mechanical. it's a beautiful analogue to compare the craft of their clothes to the labouring craft of building a bike from scratch. the video itself is my favourite one from odyn vovk, its industrial and very minimalist still. i also love seeing the craft and work that goes behind a collection. even with a half-hazard looking line like odyn vovk so much time, detail, and precision goes into making a collection.

julius f/w 2011

2011-02-03T15:05:00.004-05:00

the julius show was in my opinion, by far, the best show of the season. the expect julius drapes took on new form and a new construction to them. more tailored and fitted. if any of my posts haven't given it away this is my favourite look. similar to the look we saw from rick owens but the raw version of it, rick owens was sheen and cleaned up. each look just looked so perfectly matched and layered over each other. one other thing i find julius is getting a hold of is creating gorgeous boots, love the laceless look. along with that no fashion "goth" or what i just refer to as alternative fashion show would be complete without wrinkled and treated leather jackets. what was the show stopper however was the fur wrap at the end, raw reverse leather with long black fur exploding out from inside.

jehee sheen f/w 2011

2011-01-21T13:53:00.004-05:00

rick owens f/w 2011

2011-01-21T13:23:00.006-05:00

rick owens...what to say. every collection is just a building off the last i feel. a rick owen's show is never anything new or shocking or even unexpected, he just consistently creates beautiful pieces. his consistency is really what has earn him just a loyal following. he knows what he likes, knows his muses and inspirations and had such a true vision. my favourite parts of this collection are; one, those hexagonal cut jackets he did a lot of (i love everything overly geometric), and i love how he got playing more the the draping. he always tends to drape but this collection he's found a way to...well not so much drape but fold the fabric over itself to create the look of draping, so its a nice dichotomy of draped yet form fitting. its a wrap. thats the more simple way of putting it i guess, and i love taking my giant jersey scarves and using them as wraps. again we also saw a bit more mature rick, some more traditional looking trench coats near the end of the show. like i said, as always rick delivered a solid collection.

mugler f/w 2011

2011-01-20T18:41:00.004-05:00

so the mugler show was amazing. the collection maybe not so much. despite all the hype and nicola being the creative director, the collection seemed awfully safe and a little plain. the show they put on though was impressive. black latex painted models, sheer veils that just drag like fire behind the models, and best of all rick genest, the zombie boy, covered in skeletal tattooes, for some random from montreal he has a killer walk and killed the runway. there's also a video to go along with the collection that i will post later, but rick is just amazing in awe-inspiring, i think he just became a whole lot of people's new muse. (these amazing pics where snapped by who other than the wonderful tommy ton)

grim reaper

2011-01-19T14:03:00.000-05:00

preview of the mugler show...stoked to see the runway pics

julius livestream

2011-01-18T23:58:00.001-05:00

watch it on ustream here : ( julius stream )

raf's army

2011-01-13T16:43:00.002-05:00

dazed and confused custom typeface is hideous, but a nice tribute to raf simons! 15 wonderful years.

complex onedaysale

2011-01-12T02:26:00.002-05:00

anyone who's followed me for awhile knows that i love complexgeometries (i am currently wearing one of their black scoop neck tees and their loop tee is old but my favourite shirt i own). they're wonderful company from montreal, just showed last season for the first time in new york and was one of style.com's top up and comers. still having a little trouble getting up and really going. check out their stuff at least, support them, get some great pieces.

paris menswear week

2011-01-12T00:02:00.004-05:00

paris menswear is always the highlight of my life, so looking ahead i've plotted out the schedule for the shows i'm most anxious to see. thought i'd share it, however if you really want the full schedule can be seen by clicking here: paris menswear. excited! going to have lots to blog and rant about for sure.

thursday january 20th

rick owens

12.30

juun j.

1.30

friday january 21st

julius

12.00

krisvanassche

3.00

givenchy

6.00

saturday january 22nd

maison martin margiela

9.30

ann demeulemeester

1.00

boris bidjan saberi

5.00

damir doma

7.00

sunday january 23rd

wooyungmi

12.00

songzio

1.00

qasimi homme

5.00

black hair

2011-01-10T18:48:00.002-05:00

short fur boots from odyn vovk s/s 2011, my jaw dropped, so sexily macabre

song for the mute: milieu

2011-01-05T02:09:00.005-05:00

song for the mute is a line that in three short seasons, and three small collections, has become one of my favourite and most anticipated lines. like a lot of the lines i like song for the mute uses a neutral palette, normally with a lot of black, and focuses so much on the cut and silhouette. traditional pieces with a very sharp new twist. with a neutral palette also comes a fun play in texture and fabric which this collection seems to be full of. they've released this video but i'm sure a lookbook is soon to come, stay tuned for this one, i know you'll want to.

robert knoke

2011-01-05T00:52:00.005-05:00

artist/illustrator robert knoke. he has a very loose, messy style that i love. he uses black inks and graffiti markers and sometimes a touch of glitter. which i find interesting as i have a collection of graffiti markers sitting around from a past life. robert works from photographs to capture the darker personalities of the fashion crowd, rick owens, alison mosshart of the band the kills (first image), gareth pugh, and more. lately his work can be seen on the boxes of the new series of the six scent project, doing portraits of ohne titel, rad hourani and some of my other smaller designers.

sandra backlund s/s 2011

2011-01-04T20:11:00.004-05:00

the amazing artist/designer sandra backlund ♥

in extremes

2011-01-03T14:01:00.003-05:00

some people must go to extremes to get the world in balance for themselves. some can't bear bright lights, so wherever they go they search for the dark; they turn the lights down, anything to sustain some level of comfort. - julian schnabel

nil magazine final

2010-12-29T15:14:00.003-05:00

so here's the main pages i designed for my magazine. we were told not to worry about plagiarism, so the rad interview is from gravure magazine and you can read it here (gravure magazine), the all or nothing photo is from indie magazine, you can see the full spread on the fashionisto (all or nothing). all other content was written by myself, hope you like it!

in bondage

2010-12-29T01:46:00.002-05:00

sexy back detail from givenchy s/s 2011

dark twisted fantasy

2010-12-29T01:38:00.002-05:00

bored. playing around with vera wang's pre-fall collection which the furs in it were beautiful!

reborn wishlist

2010-12-27T16:27:00.004-05:00

so its just after christmas and my birthday and i got all the books and movies i wanted. now comes the other tradition boxing day sales, while in toronto the rad by rad coat im craving is tempting me here's my selection of my most covetable from reborn in montreal. some complex and rad of course and a beautiful natalia brilli piece to sit on my desk as a work of art.

magdalena frackowiak

2010-12-27T14:07:00.001-05:00

for muse magazine winter 2010

butterfly soulfire s/s 2011

2010-12-20T22:09:00.005-05:00

much more basic material and construction, not crazy knotting or weaving, this collection relies very much on its experimentation with the cut. its still layered and has sheers and still drapes in every which way but this collection seems much simpler and a little less exciting than previous collections. while some of the pieces are still fabulous i'm not sure how much i can deal with those angled shorts that jet out. the basic drop crotch and tee's with a twist are always a nice feature.

givenchy s/s 2011 campaign

2010-12-15T23:21:00.000-05:00

to lee, with love

2010-12-08T01:11:00.005-05:00

today at the british fashion awards my idol alexander mcqueen was awarded posthumously the award for oustanding achievement in fashion design. my favourite photographer nick knight also premiered his short video to lee, with love, nick that feature a collection of mcqueens greatest work from his namesake line. the music was provided by friend of mcqueen, singer bjork. the whole comes together in a dark and hauntingly beautiful whole that is serene and fast and edgy all in one, a true epitome of lee alexander mcqueens work, and a befitting love letter to his legacy.

"this film is my way of speaking about a very unique and important person who changed my life. my desire was to speak in some way about the dark and the light contained within lee, and within us all.' - nick knight

to lee, with love, nick

industrie magazine #2

2010-12-06T20:20:00.002-05:00

i have only ever seen one copy of industrie magazine and it was for sale in an indigo and i brought it as fast as i could. no such luck was come about looking for its second installment that features my loves the mulleavy sisters and an editorial of marc jacobs modeling off his womenswear collection.

emma balfour

2010-12-06T00:01:00.002-05:00

i've never heard or seen zoo magazine before maybe its brand new, but it just popped up in every chapters, indigo and magazine shop in toronto one day. it looks interesting and if this beautifully laid out and muted editorial is any signifier it looks like it would be a secure investment.

makers & spectators

2010-12-05T23:20:00.005-05:00

this ingenious little machine is one of the best art projects i've ever come across. an art piece by german artist nils volker, he focuses on conceptual, intelligent, mechanical/machine based art. this one in particular is of outstanding brilliance. made from lego, this machine hangs over a large stack of paper and draws not what the spectator sees, but how they see. this machine records the eye movement of a spectator looking at a picture they are faced with, the machine then in dots tracks out the movement of the eye and the paths it follow to survey the image. it is a study into how we view objects, part of an exhibition exploring this idea that took place back in april/may 2009 in the netherlands. the exhibit goes on to explore how different people see objects based on their occupation, or really their past experiences with some objects and lack of knowledge of others. it also takes on the tradition of the creative vs the non-creative mind and how artist see the world compared to others. however what i love about this so much is that it does not tackle how we "perceive" the world like we gets takes on so often in art, it is not at all how we perceive but very tangibly about how we simply look at and observe the world. the end result in all the exhibits are beautiful abstractions each personalized and created by the viewer. this itself goes past how we see the world which is the focus of the exhibit but indulges into the idea of who is the artist and the idea of autonomous art. this project and this exhibit takes on very long running themes in art and tackles them in a more tangible, scientific based way, that removes the bias of the artists and still creates beautiful artwork (or not even art but informational graphs, from the act of recording how we see we then visualize the act of seeing and how we digest information. this whole exhibit keeps inspiring in new ways the more i reflect on it.)

rad hourani in pulp magazine

2010-12-02T00:46:00.002-05:00

whoever is the editorial designer at pulp, is bloody brilliant.

revolution is my girlfriend

2010-12-01T14:40:00.000-05:00

from gq italia

life magazine

2010-12-01T03:11:00.001-05:00

i dig myself

to the center of the earth

and then there was a hole

i crawled back

and i put a knock upon your door

but there was no one home

there was no one home

i climb clouds

to the bluest of the skies

and all i saw was air

i rained my love

to the heads that breathe below

but none of them cared

none of them cared

- by wesley eisold

obscur s/s 2011 part two

2010-11-29T16:46:00.006-05:00

soft talk on a hard subject

2010-11-28T16:09:00.003-05:00

soft lighting on hard contrast...beautiful. the blacks are still so black but the whites a are darkened yet you still get that intense contrast. i live in graphics and vectors and hard lines so i really enjoy colour blurred out of focus artistic photography however i do still really appreciate something so strikingly graphic. theres some amazing prints and pieces in this short shoot to, kudos for dazed for this one, i find dazed very hit/miss. this one i love though, and allow me to geek out for a moment, in my group of graphic designer friends we have a joke about making everything black on black because it's so slick, but that opening page the title being gray on gray...thats so well done, respect to the designer on that one.

adrojen

2010-11-25T22:16:00.006-05:00

andrej has such an amazing look to him, why he's become the face of androgyny (he killed it in the rive gauche et libre editorial i posted...in august i think?) i've always been a huge fan of androgyny by find myself writing about it for school, and looking at it a lot more in a new light. i should write now be working on a thesis proposal which i think i will be making a full length, properly published magazine focusing on exploring the relationship of gender and fashion. and yes i know there is a magazine out simply called "androgyny magazine" and i have a copy of it here right now, but for it's title i find androgyny actually severely missing from it. so expect a lot more talk about androgyny to come from me as its about to consume the rest of my life as a student.

nil magazine

2010-11-23T22:21:00.001-05:00

so this is my final cover for my project! what you think? i'm working on getting my shit together and making an online portfolio, maybe one day you can see the whole magazine!

obscur s/s 2011 part one

2010-11-23T21:56:00.004-05:00

gooooooorgeous, i died! this lookbook is perfection! i died, really....more to come

nude by masahiko maruyama

2010-11-18T17:18:00.004-05:00

no. 4 ascent

2010-11-06T12:49:00.002-04:00

i talked before about the sixth scent project and rad hourani's perfume "ascent" now they've posted the short making of video of this scent. enjoy :)

state of mind

2010-11-06T12:39:00.004-04:00

past couple days i have not been able to stop looking at everything helmut lang

the brightest flames leave the deepest scars

2010-11-06T12:30:00.001-04:00

i'm really bored so i've just been playing around in my adobe programs....

yuri pleskun

2010-11-06T12:24:00.003-04:00

i've posted a ferrater studio before of ash stymest not here's one of one of my other favourite male models, that i'm planning on taking stills from to make a lil editorial spread for my mock magazine.

reverie

2010-11-06T12:09:00.003-04:00

by alice rosati for ones2watch

portfolios

2010-11-06T02:20:00.002-04:00

all givenchy says is that these are "evening bags" i hope they mean their portfolio size because i have discovered good portfolios are extremely hard to find.

the master

2010-11-05T19:35:00.003-04:00

vintage shots of the work of the master helmut lang

saint mark's place

2010-11-04T11:48:00.002-04:00

agness deyn shot by alasdair mclellan for v magazine

the journal

2010-11-04T02:33:00.002-04:00

for the journal magazine by maciek kobielski

punk wears prada

2010-11-03T22:54:00.002-04:00

six scents: series three

2010-10-29T22:12:00.006-04:00

so this is a project thats been going on for the past couple years. each year scent company givuadan works with six small designers who on their own couldn't make their own fragrance for release. these six scents are made each in a small set of 3000 making them extremely collectable. ranging at a price of about 145 a bottle a portion of the proceeds goes to war child international. this year includes my ideal, rad hourani. his scent...interests me. trying to encompass the whole spectrum of life in one scent hitting on four notes. the first note, takes on conception, as he tries to create the scent of semen as a top note. thats what interests and scares me. the rest goes on to hit musk, babypowder, and leather to encompass an entire life in one bottle. other designers include juun j, alexis mabille, mary katrantzou, n. hoolywood, and ohne titel. each bottle comes in a featuring an illustration of the designer by robert knoke, and a dvd including the video above and short films commissioned for each scent. there's two places in toronto that carry the scents and i am going to be very impatiently waiting to test them all, especially rad's.

david lindwall collection 4

2010-10-29T14:42:00.002-04:00

last collection the inspiration for the collection was the possibility of the world being nothing but a hologram. this collection is equally based on an intellectual proposition continuing what i love about david lindwall and combining intellectualism and fashion. taking off on the same point, the work of alain aspect, lindwall explored the idea of objective reality. the collection is classic lindwalls style for which he has developed a cult following for, large images mixed with centered type. while there's never a drastic change in his designs the thought and ideas behind them are always there, and there will always be his loyal to sell them out.

thomas badlands

2010-10-27T18:56:00.002-04:00

like any good small designer a video of the collection was made for thomas collection 3. interesting video, only thing is, whats with the type! squished together bubble letters....gag!

thomas collection #3

2010-10-26T22:42:00.004-04:00

so toronto fashion week (or lg fashion week) went by...and yea nothing really much to say about that. toronto fashion always seems like student, would-be, unimaginative work. and when someone has an idea, they come up with the most novel, unexplored way of approaching it, ie. green fashion = dress made out of fake flowers. cult de laissez faire showed some promise for stylistic development in toronto, mainly i was blown away by the graphic design work, however that company released one collection before calling it quits. now thomas shows promise. their design philosophy is strictly taken from rad hourani, seeing it as the future of fashion. making their way from shredded tees to full on dress shirts thomas has grown up a lot and showed as a part of lg fashion week. collection was a mix of the classic and new forms. fitted sheer shirts but also long draped sweaters and wraps, some pieces dance on the line of both. in a neutral, black dominated palette how could i not get excited any hint of goth in toronto fashion. now as someone who just wants to see thomas achieve, i advise them to leave toronto. they talked about moving to berlin and i recommend they do that soon before stingy, stolid toronto drowns them.

editorial design

2010-10-24T23:32:00.002-04:00

so yea this is kind of my fourth post in a row about rad hourani (third tonight) i'm a little obsessed/excited. but really this is about my homework! for editorial class i am making a mock proposal for a magazine: name, logo, cover, couple spreads, story. so theres are some mock up covers/names/logos i have made, i've made a lot more these are what i've narrowed it down too. let me know which one is your favourite please! i'm stuck and need guidance.

rad hourani #6 video

2010-10-24T23:19:00.000-04:00

reborn montreal

2010-10-24T22:50:00.004-04:00

anybody remember this? i sure do. i'm currently sitting in my hotel room in montreal absolutely ecstatic that tomorrow i finally get to visit the place that founded everything i know and love about fashion. the place that founded my style, taste, and gave me my first look into fashion other than chanel and dior. and right away i fell in love with rad hourani. since first stumbling onto reborn.ws rad hourani has been a personal hero, idol, icon of mine, and tomorrow i get to see the store that gave him his start. i really feel like i'm visiting a a historic spot. since then they've given me natalia brilli, and my other favourite line complexgeometries. i really can not explain how much this means to me...

rad hourani collection six

2010-10-20T15:35:00.007-04:00

long time overdue, i have been ridiculously lost in the mess of school, as per usual. but i have been drooling over these looks for the past couple weeks. rad hourani the brilliant man he is, i think finds the best source of inspiration is to challenge oneself. amongst all his pieces being so stylized, playing with leathers and denims, strictly constructed, symmetrical, unisex, adhering to no specific season, he added one more constraint on his this collection. achieve all that, and a full collection of 22 looks, with only 6 pieces. rad has always loved the idea of transformable clothes, that we got a lot of from his last collection, and this season a hint at with his rad by rad collection, but for collection six he took it full tilt. sleeves that zip of, zip together into a bag, a scarf, a skirt. a coat that detaches into 2 separate pieces to make a scarf, a cape, a skirt, and so much more. this is a brilliance in design aesthetically, functionally, and in value. a coat that literally can be worn all year around in many different pieces. one coat that allows you to wear, perceivably, a different coat 6 days in a row. rad's pieces have always cost a little bit more, but really when one coat functions as so much it really is a value piece, an investment piece that can be worn for seasons. minimal design now reaches to a minimal closet. there's not an aspect of fashion i don't think rad had thought about and decided to change into his image. rad becomes more than a designer with an idea, but a life stylist with a philosophy.

alexander mcqueen s/s 2011

2010-10-14T14:48:00.005-04:00

sarah burton for this season created one of the most beautiful collections of the season. as someone whose not really a fan of colour i love how sarah has done it, though the palette of wine red and gold is very mcqueen, the treatment of it is gorgeous. even the sickly dyed dresses at the end and the off purple gown at the very end. sarah did created something very beautiful and very respectful of lee mcqueen and his work. this collection carried so many of mcqueen's motifs on. its shapes, its colours, its tailoring, its beautiful prints, its overall dedication to a single idea but with so many explorations into that idea. this collection was very house of mcqueen...as for being very mcqueen itself. its a b-rate movie but there's one line in it i love, from art school confidential, "trying to speak in someone else's voice". no disrespect to sarah or the gorgeous collection she put forth, but that line is what came to mind when i saw this collection. people have called it mcqueen with a feminine touch, a softer mcqueen. that is what makes it painfully aware that mcqueen is not at the helm. that darkness, that harshness, the underlining subdued (well not also so subdued) commentary his work carried that was missing. my whole life and perspective of art and creation comes from that fact that throughout history in art from carravagio to francis bacon to van gogh, in music from beethoven to stravinsky, to ian curtis, even to eminem, the tortured have always been hallowed in art. and that is why i think was so captivating about mcqueen, what allowed him to bring something so new and individual to the fashion industry. so while this is a truly a gorgeous collection and i praise sarah burton for her work. and it is very much in the tradition of lee mcqueen, that voice is whats being missed. and thats the unfortunate thought tagging along to the difficult job of taking over for a such a highly praised creative.

givenchy s/s 2011

2010-10-09T12:46:00.005-04:00

partly cause i haven't had tome really too, partly cause when i have a little time i'm exhausted, and a little because, i'll be honest, i couldn't wrap my head completely around this collection. note that is in no way a bad thing, its so surreally beautiful (yes surreally's a proper word i looked it up). it hits on the motifs riccardo has been carrying in the collection from the carnal priest men's collection. the leopard print, the cuts that make a cross across the chest, really riccardo's fascination with religion id by far the most compelling thing about him. the sheers and mesh ethereal, the skinny pant with the sheer long skirt over it gives the illusion of floating on or constantly walking through smoke. the biggest killers of the collection though are by far the ruffled vests. riccardo has always loved doing large ruffles, which can be rather hard to do. something to intricately valuable and luxurious, but also so deadly erotic, the black lace and sheer ruffles, making a "v" shape ending at the belly button, with leather straps that wrap around and tie it tight to the body, so sexy. and in those looks you see my favourite little detail that riccardo always does on his pants, the side flaps come up above the belt line and accent the hips and natural lines of the body, such subtle sexuality done so formally. riccardo is a gift from god and i belong to his baroque church of givenchy.

hussien chalayan s/s 2011

2010-10-07T15:01:00.005-04:00

gareth pugh s/s 2011

2010-10-03T16:28:00.006-04:00

i love seeing his videos, but the film does not do justice for this collection! my favourite pugh collection so far i think. gareth often uses hard modular motifs to build pieces but those sectioned pants mapping out the leg, and the jackets, just mapping out the whole body are so beautiful. goth done in a dirty white. then collection then moves into my fabric and covering the body, with a signature print pugh designed. however the large puffy dresses are reminiscent of the mcqueen houndstooth dressed, but still beautiful. into the hard black that i love. angular black leather jackets of sheer tops and a skinny pant, that is by far my idea of the perfect outfit. the leather vest to to die for! the front flap that i have become to love so much in my outfits. and of course no pugh collection is complete without the obvious extreme space age, futuristic reference. the metallic pieces are mesmerizing and still seem light though they look like they were manufactured out of silver strips. i could gush forever about this collection, by far my favourite pugh collection. i use to not be a huge fan of pugh thinking him simply a wild child, but he has managed to mature but still keep his extremity which is so rare. i'll say it now, i love gareth pugh.

rick owens s/s 2011

2010-10-03T15:49:00.005-04:00

streamlined rick owens. a slightly different rick owens showed in paris this week. the clothes still had his strong angular and geometric cuts and shapes but was pulled in a lot, and much more focused on the body than long drape and silhouettes. of course the collection still had quite a bit of it, but it didn't seem nearly as bulky, a nice lack of excess fabric. rick said this collection was more about control and it definitely showed in this new constraint we don't really see from a usual rick owen's show. like ann demeulemeester and a lot of those cult designers (in which i am a faithful follower) constraint seems to be the new direction.

ann demeulemeester s/s 2011

2010-10-01T18:34:00.006-04:00

the collection this season seemed awfully reminiscent of last season with the breast plates and pieces of faux armour. new this season was the graphic prints and the dresses that went long on the one leg. collection really does look like battle gear and is no doubt so empowering to anyone who wears it. ann kept this similar to her last collection, following her new sexier direction she's been taking. meanwhile she still remains a genius of how to properly layer, which is hard with all her long fabrics, folds, and strong tailoring.

nicolas andreas taralis s/s 2011

2010-09-30T01:42:00.005-04:00

always, always, expect paris to impress. this is what i've been dying for all of new york, and london, and milan. dark, black, sophisticated, tailored, strong, empowered. and of course from one who worked with my personal hero hedi slimane. why did taralis ever leave the runway, since his return i have been completely taken by his two collections. the sheers, the strict tailoring, angular cuts, seems like an evolution of what nicolas was doing three years ago, its amazing that he kept to his aesthetic so much through that long of a hiatus. the flashes of skin through the laser cut mesh tanks or just the bold toplessness, nude + black = best colour combination ever, always. i actually feel so ecstatic and relieved after this collection. just what i needed,

gareth pugh s/s 2011 video

2010-09-30T01:07:00.005-04:00

i love gareth's fashion videos so much, honestly, but would be nice to see the collection on the model able to dissect it.

song for the mute s/s 10-11

2010-09-25T22:15:00.004-04:00

there's been posts i've been meaning to post for awhile before i actually do, i had the images all ready over a month ago for this one. lost in the mist of moving, school, and then fashion season, i'm finally taking the time to blog song for the mute. i posted the lookbook for this collection back in may but the actually pieces seen piece by piece is gorgeous. playing with the bias, bunching, and pieces made to be layered this collection is a dream. so many d.i.y. ideas from these pics. the scarf and shorts are beautiful, i've taken to a long layered look this season, my urban loin clothe look like that last shirt. i love my layers and this collection is just made to go together so beautifully inspiring me to get back to what i use to love. grunge, punk, alt fashion, rather than denim shirts and bow ties....i have some shopping to do!

mark fast s/s 2011

2010-09-25T17:15:00.004-04:00

mark fast...i'm not a fashion designer, just an observer, but seeing him make it from seneca (ten minute bus ride from my place) to going to central saint martins to being a highlight of london fashion week, is really inspiring for me. so i guess i'll always kinda love his work. while this collection followed another trend we're seeing, opposed to all whites you go with neon colours. mark who's work is normally all black, if not just really black heavy, did a collection with much more colours and even whites this season. a small stretch from his usual. this collection seemed to show an expansion in his confidence, bolder colours, adding fringe and beaded elements rather than just flat knitwear, and much more visually intricate and interesting designs. yes, its not a large step away from what he's done before, but it is my favourite collection by him so far so, he's still getting better and has my love.