Here are some old snaps of New Year's Eve celebrations mined from the global photo album that is Flickr.
How great does everyone look? I love seeing actual photos of actual people from days past. Flipping through vintage fashion magazines just doesn't give the same flavor as seeing candids from people's living rooms.
This has been an amazing year. I can't wait to see what the next one brings. I hope you all have a happy, healthy, and fabulous night. Here's to endings and beginnings. All of the images above were found on Flickr. Click away to see image sources.
Mmmm. Kissing is a little bit of earthly heaven. T-shirts of kissing are definitely on my wanted list. This one says "I _ _ _ _ you." Wear it out tonight and let someone else fill in the blanks. Sounds like fun. This T-shirt was designed by Simon Massey di Vallazza. He has a site and a rockin' Flickr page. His illustrations are super-cool and the scans he's posted of his sketchbooks make me happy.
You _ _ _ _ a t-shirt of your own? Email Simon and ask him how to get one: simon@smv-design.com.
Clare Shilland has mined the overexposed, underage demographic for subjects that speak louder than the cliches that precede them. She snapped portraits at England's Underage Festival, a rock show for kids aged 14 to 18 with no guaridans allowed. Her photos of the fest capture that thing in youth that is so fun to remember, and also so torturous to recall. Remember your first music festival? Remember finding your identity in a rock T-shirt, a box of hair dye, and a piercing or two? Clare's photos of kids at concerts are portraits of self-discovery as much as they are a catalog of the the cool looks of fearless young'uns.
Clare is represented by Santucci & Co. and you can see her portfolio, including all of the photos above there. You can also see her work on the regular on her photo blog.
I think of Valerie Steele as a fashion activist of sorts. Whenever someone says anything about fashion being ridiculous and superficial I first agree with them and then say, "but it is also fascinating." My backup evidence is always Steele's excellent journal Fashion Theory: The Journal of Dress, Body, and & Culturewhere she serves as editor.
Fashion Theory is a quarterly publication that feeds the fashion geek in me like no other. The issues collect very academic (but still entertaining) essays about the interplay between fashion, dress, culture, and human behavior. They subject the seemingly superficial to analysis worthy of any art history lecture hall in the finest university. Subscriptions can be a bit pricey, but I've scored a few issues at various used bookstores and recommend keeping your eyes peeled for copies at fashiony thrift stores and the like. You can also peruse a sample issue on Berg's website. It'll put wrinkles in the only place most fashionistas want them--your brain.
I don't quite understand how, but lighting company Phillips has developed a fabric that emits colored light patterns depending on the wearer's mood. Designers worked the emotive textiles into a floaty bubble of a dress that lights and delights. Watch it do its thing:
Pretty fantastic. I love things I don't have to really understand to enjoy.
Something about the Holidays makes me ridiculously nostalgic for vintage Madonna. I know, I know, it's strange. I think it has to do with the fact that the Material Girl always had the top spot on my "If this isn't wrapped up and presented to me, I may disown you" gift list to family members when I was a little girl. Whether is was a new set of black rubber bracelets, a pair of fingerless lace gloves (to fit a five year old--Mom had to sew those ones), or giant neon earrings, almost everything I would ask for would be Madonna-inspired. So, here's the video/movie mash-up for "Get Into The Groove" from Madge's mainstream big-screen debut. It's chock full of clips of the now crazy-armed pop star in her best movie role to date: Susan, that desperately sought wild-child who ate atomic orange cheese puffs with white gloves on and still looked cooler than the rest of the City.
You could take a still from any single second of Stephen Daldry's The Reader and make the most beautiful photograph. I can't say enough about the visual pleasures of this film. From Kate Winslet's creamy complexion, to sunsets making a gray city glow, to old-time boxed-car trams, to delicious cotton dresses, it was all divinelyshot and lit and decorated and printed.
The subject matter may be a bit heavy for some, but the gorgeous, rich scenery will be a treat for all. Go see it and tell me what you think.
I'm a big fan of the more wise among us. I love the stories I hear and the lessons I learn from those with a few more years under their belt than me. I noticed this year that the golden set were getting their due respect in the fashion arena, and I couldn't have been more pleased. The Moment, which is The New York Times fashion blog also noticed as part of their year-end wrap-up of fashion trends. In their post called "Fashion Grows Up" I found a link to Advanced Style and now I'm hooked.
This street style blog distinguishes itself from the many on the market by covering the stylings of senior scenesters. I'm such a fan of older people maintaining their sense of style. When I was younger I thought that there was an age that you reached where your pants had to be hiked up and your hair had to be fluffed and your bags had to be fanny packed. It scared me. I'm not scared anymore, kids. I'm ready to grow up. Well, in due time of course.
Ooooh baby, Santa did a fashion blogger good! I got a great little MacBook cover from Etsy dealer fernfiddlehead.
The fabric is from textile designer Alexander Henry and is called Perfect Pattern. It's a seamstress' dress pattern! I love it. Thanks Santa! And fernfiddlehead! Check out Cathy and fernfiddlehead's entire collection in her Etsy shop. She's got super cute stuff and it's very well made. Happy Happy Holidays! Images: (top) Anna Yanofsky, (bottom) fernfiddlehead.
Happy Holidays from Anna and all the I Want to Wear It. Elves! We'll all be at a disco in North Carolina until New Year's so posting may be a little spotty, but you all enjoy yours(elves)! Thank you for all of the love. Peace.
Momiji are the cutest little dolls in the whole world (yep, I do declare it). They are Japanese figurines that arrive to you in noodle boxes or little bags, and they have something to say. Tiny secret paper messages hide inside of them, like fortune cookies only sweeter (and you probably shouldn't eat them).
The Love Momiji site is completely cuted out. There's a community for doll fans where you can upload your photos of Momiji doing cute stuff, like posing in plants and sitting pretty. There are also lots of fun animations and happy looking people floating around. Check it and feel the contagious cute coming to get you, in a totally non-scary way of course.
The Pirelli Calendar is one of those objets d'art that functions on many levels. It's practical, (you can know what day it is!) it's commercial, (somehow it helps sell tires!) and it's hot (like as in hot damn!). It never disappoints the fashion/art elite who view it as an annual barrometer for the who-what-now factor, or the mechanics who need some steamy shop scenery. The above image is from this year's 2009 calendar shot by legendary photo-safari master Peter Beard. Below are some images from years past. They are all amazing and all from Pirelli.
