On With His Head!

Cick above for video via the SHOWstudio site.

It never ceases to amaze (and utterly relieve) me that some of the most genius artists in the fashion world are also fantastic people. I've grown up with a ridiculous, inexplicable inner itch to make fashion my life. There was no cure for that strange condition, so now I'm devoting myself to it with a drive I didn't know I had. Every day it takes courage to show up as myself to a dream that I never thought I could really do without being reincarnated into some other human form with longer legs or a keener style sense. The fuel for my fire are the ever-so-talented and delightfully humble fashion folk who also do what they love simply because they must. Philip Treacy is one of those people. His work is poetic in its perfection. Every piece that I've ever seen come out of his millinery shop in his decade plus career has been witty, expertly crafted, and pointedly beautiful. Every single one. In an old SHOWstudio video piece I just caught for the first time, Treacy makes one of his "Feather Salads," or so he calls them. You get to watch him craft one of his gorgeous hatworks from mold to mannequin with the skill and eye he has in excess. He also answers questions at the same time, speaking candidly about his initial fear of Lady Gaga, the only two "machines" that he uses to make hats (his hands), and the beautiful feathers he curls to perfection with a hair iron. The video is only available through the SHOWstudio site, but please click through the photo above and watch; the video is phenomenal.

God, Please Let Me Age Gracefully.

Garance Dore snapped this beautiful woman of a certain age looking timeless and marvelous on the streets of Amsterdam. I want to be her when I grow up.

Don't Look Away.

I found out yesterday that a third childhood friend of mine lost a parent to cancer. I'm 27, my friends are in their late twenties and to be losing parents this young, and at such an unforgiving rate is alarming to say the least. Please, please inform your parents and beloved friends and family of cancer screening procedures and encourage them to utilize good medical care to keep aware of the states of their bodies. It's frightening to go searching for something so daunting, but in the case of cancer, what you don't know will kill you. Here is a link to screening centers and events nation wide.

Although rates of cancer seem to be rising, so do rates of survival. Nearly ten years ago fashion photographer and SHOWstudio founder, Nick Knight, completed a ground breaking project for Dazed and Confused magazine that highlighted the altered, but resilient beauty of breast cancer survivors.

Using female survivors who had had single or double mastectomies, or reconstructive surgery in the face of their battles with the disease, Knight presented a photo essay where the women's physical form was both central and secondary. If you didn't know that these women were survivors, the essay may have looked like any other high fashion editorial shoot of sexy, strong images. Key in to the fact that the women are cancer survivors and the scene takes on entirely new, profound meanings. You see beauty through strength. You see defiance of norms. You see character, divinity, and the preciousness of life. It's an astounding work that deserves another look, and the folks at Dazed Digital are highlighting it on their website as an important selection from their archives.

Knight worked closely with the charity Breakthrough to produce the shoot. If you are able to, please volunteer or donate to their important cause. To view the entire project, including a related video piece as well as interviews with Knight and the participating models, follow this link to the SHOWstudio.com archives.

Coming In For A Landing.

Lex Land sings the hot, hot, sexiness right out of this song. This 22 year old California native made a big impression on the folks that matter at SXSW this year and she's going to be on career-maker KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic on April 7th. I'm loving her bluesy, rolling voice and the jaded lyrics of this song. I'm also loving the new trend in beauti-full, seriously talented, female singers.

You like her as much as I do? Maybe you will also love her cutesy, crafty creations. Check out the chanteuse's necklaces and keychains available through her Etsy shop. Multi-talented. She's gonna be all blazing and on fire soon enough. Til then she's keeping her day job at Kit Kraft hobby shop in Cali and Twittering all about it. Follow her life of almost thereness but still brokeness one Tweet at a time. Fascinating.

Blooming.

Tilly Bloom makes objets d'art after my own heart. Her illustration-based, wearable (and not so wearable) artworks are beautiful without being "pretty". They are interesting without being weird, well some of them are a little weird. They are black and white, which I love, and they are affordable, which I love even more. She's an Etsy seller originally from Scotland who now resides in Brooklyn. I'm especially loving her thick bracelets lined in colorful felt, which are pleasantly priced at around $24. Here are a few of my favorites:

The bracelets have great names like "OMG They Killed Caesar!" and "At The Party Alice Felt Gloomy". They'll surely transform your pulse points into talking points. Tilly Bloom is quite prolific, so if you like her style, click on one of the images above and peruse her Etsy shop; there's plenty more where these came from.

Kate Is Worth The Weight.

I hate discussions about female celebrity weight gain when are put in demeaning terms. When couch potato Americans scream "thunder thighs!" at glaring television screens from their sofas while their own waistlines balloon. But, every now and then someone puts on a few pounds and is actually praised for it, actually looks better, healthier, glowier. THE original waif herself, Ms. Kate Moss, the formerly super-bony model who inspired angry vandal chicks to scrawl "feed me" on her 1990s Calvin Klein billboards, looks, well, softened. She's rounded out enough to be denying pregnancy rumors. She says just a few added pounds and that she's a woman now, with happy curves. I want to officially welcome her to the club. Here are some pics of a shapelier Moss that ran along side a feature on the model mogul in last week's New York Magazine:

I know, she's no Botticelli babe, but she now looks like my skinny friends instead of a girl I want to throw a five day pizza party. I think she looks smashing, and if Kate is still the trend setter she's always been, keep your eyes peeled for softer looking femmes everywhere.

Photos by Bert Stern for New York Magazine.

Big Love.

Katie Grand super-stylist turned editor for the Conde Nast publication Love unveiled the new mag's cover, and it is grand indeed.

I first saw it on fellow fashiony site The Cherry Blog, and well, fell in love. It's Beth Ditto ya'll! She's the beautiful icon of bigger bodies and sexy feminists everywhere. I love how she routinely just puts it all out there. She's all up in your grill with her BeautiFull self and I really admire it. Apparently the issue is full of fuller figured women with not one model fitting in the classic sample size. I can't wait to see it when it comes out tomorrow! $7 won't be easy to part with for this thrity lady, but I can be a big spender for this big deal.

Photo from WWD.com.

Grow Up.

Here are two beautiful ladies of a certain age to ease anyone's fears of passing days:

Garance Dore found them. I want to drink coffee with them and listen to their stories about life. Then raid their closets, quiz them on their skin care routine, and scope out their shopping spots.

Picture Perfect

How great do they look? All color coordinated and beautiful.

I'm trying to figure out where the NEW FIRST LADY!!!!!! (sorry my enthusiasm took over there for a second....) got her dress for my friend and election night host Neil P., but for the moment it's eluding me. Oh well, there will be plenty of time for Michelle Obama fashion news. For now, I'm going to blast Stevie Wonder and dance like a fool around my room. That's just how I celebrate. Happy New Day!