Matte Attack!

KO for KO.

I took me and my red lips (see below! loved it!) on a stroll through Henri Bendel yesterday. I don't usually frequent such tawny shopping spots, but every once in a while I like to look with my eyes and not my wallet-- it gives me great ideas for stuff I can sleuth for less cash in less fancy digs. Yesterday the product that sparked my interest was an exciting nail polish, a matte top coat from Knock Out Cosmetics. First of all, I've always wanted a matte top coat for my shiny nail polish colors. I had no idea that it was such a rare and highly sought after item. Apparently the matte top coat has yet to be done right and is just now emerging on the market as a coveted, effective, product. So, it's special because it's newly done right. Also, KO's (short for Knock Out) campaign star is Karen O (KO)! The Yeah Yeah Yeah's frontwoman who I love a little more that life itself. How hot does she look in their ad above?

The bottle on the Bendel shelf was $19 and even though that's pretty much a tenth of what most of their inventory goes for, I'm such a cheapy and a twenty spot for a nail polish is a lot more than I would feel comfortable paying. But, it was surprisingly hard to put it down. I loved it. I mean loved it. My friend Jenny astutely observed that it made my red nails look like they belonged to the fingertips of an old timey doll. And it's a top coat so the uses are endless. I was immediately picturing all of my glossy polish colors suddenly dimmed. It was really hard to put it down.

Me showing my KO Flatte matte top coat to my geisha lamp. She liked it!

I stuck to my guns though, and followed my tried and true shopping rule: Unless there is some ridiculous one day sales event, limited (super limited, one of a kind) stock, a less than $10 price tag, or any other extremely compelling reason for an immediate purchase...leave it for 24 hours. You can go back. So, I left the KO with the Bendel's staff and went on an internet search for what possible alternatives there are out there.

Essie's Matte About You (l) and V For Men Matte Finish Top Coat by Nubar (r).

It's slim pickin's! Essie has come out with a bottle of matte topper for a ten spot. It doesn't come with the cool factor of a Karen O endorsement, but it's nearly half of what that added cool costs. And it's called Matte About You, which conjures fond memories of Helen Hunt. The only other matte finish top coat I could find is one for...men! This makes it infinitely more cool than any of the others. It's V For Men Matte Finish Top Coat from Nubar. It clocks in at $8.99. I love the idea of the gender bending; the male element dulling out the shiny feminine glisten of my girlie red nails! It's all so theoretically exciting! But, both the Essie and V For Men are, as far as I can tell, only available for order online at this point. The Essie matte can be purchased through Amazon.com and the V For Men through the Nubar site. So the decision becomes instant gratification vs. penny pinching with an added element of cool factor tipping the scales just a bit. Or! Or! I could just make more frequent visits to Henri Bendel's and use the tester until I'm over the matte anyways...hmmm. Decisions, decisions.

Passionate Kisses.

I've been a bit obsessed with formulating a fashion uniform of my own lately. I'm sick of wondering if I'm on trend or off, if I'm in or out, if I'm with it or over it. It's exhausting, so I have something brewing in the frontal fashion lobe of my brain. I'm going with a formula that's timeless and girly with a tomboy edge. I'm still working out all the details of the execution, but I know one thing for sure, I'm going bold with the lipstick. I've always loved the idea of doing the drop-dead red mouth on the daily, but I've been intimidated. I've never worn lipstick regularly, but I am always so struck by how pretty a red lip can be with a minimal face of makeup. It's so feminine, but almost assertively so. There is no mousing around with a poppin' pair of lips. You declare womanhood with a red pout. It's such a force of nature. As long as you keep the eyes simply and lightly lined and just brushed with some mascara, you will not be overdoing it. You'll look classic, not crass. At least, that's what I'm hoping. What's my signature shade going to be? I'm going with the Queen, baby!

Poppy King, The Lipstick Queen! She's a brilliant business woman with a passion for all things lip-related and I feel good about spending my hard-to-come-by bucks on her great cosmetics. She started her own lipstick company out of her home when she was just a High School grad and has built her business into a $2 million a year operation. Even in this dismal economy her sales are up, way up, 34% up! That's big. Why? Well, let her tell you...



It is always so inspiring to me to see entrepreneurial women making a killing in the business world. She's a dynamo. Her story is a success to pattern yourself after and her products are thoughtfully, well-made. There are no gimmicks, no over the top over-promises, no crazy bee ess, just color-filled pencils, sticks, glosses, and pots that provide great shades in lasting formulas. Need to know more? Poppy'll give you a lipstick lesson.



I'm choosing the Red Sinner, because I'm that badass. Or, maybe I'll pick up Sinner and Saint so I can choose my level of badassness on a day to day basis. Either way, this is going to be fun...

Big Hair.

I've always wanted to know how to do that. Remember when Marge revealed what she stows in her blue do? I feel like this is like that. Only British and different.

Pretty Little Papercuts.

The simplest tools can make the most beautiful things. Hand artist Elsa Mora a sheet of paper and a pair of scissors, and she'll snip snip until you hold in your hand the most gorgeous piece of work of art. Her papercuts are masterpieces of delicate and intricate handiwork with sharp objects, mainly tiny scissors from Honey Bee and really well filed X-acto knives.

Here's a closer look at the finer points of her work:

Aren't they amazing? The precision of the incisions is fantastic. Elsa, or Elsita as she is known in the Etsy universe, is a dedicated artist. She brings creativity to every aspect of her life and is a champion for the freedom of expression. After battling stress and baby blues in the period following the birth of her second child, Elsa realized that she had been neglecting her appearance and resolved to change the things she didn't like in the mirror, and embrace and love the things she did. To keep herself up to task, she began a style site called The Hidden Seed. There she documents her daily outfits in the most gorgeous way.

She's a woman full of the kind of rich, real beauty that rage women need to see more of. Her lovely sense of style comes courtesy of a childhood spent growing up in Cuba and winding up in California. Her artistry comes through in her beautifully detailed outfits where every fabric is lush, every color is perfectly hued, and all of her accessories add another detail to the story her ensemble is trying to tell. And, look at those backgrounds. They are so lovely.

What a pleasure to see a woman--a real, unairbrushed woman, a mom, an artist, a creative being--having fun with her wardrobe in a really joyous way. Follow Elsita's lead and treat yourself like a work of art. If you need some help with the finishing touches, check out her Etsy store for jewelry, pins, the occasional article of clothing, and an entire cache of inspiring artworks.

All photos are via Elsa's bolgs. Click any image to be taken directly to the sites.

You've Come A Long Way, Baby.

Every time I travel by plane, I spend most of the flight, well, sleeping. When I don't have my eyeballs stowed neatly in their overhead compartments, I'm usually scoping out the flight attendants. Being an avid fan of subcultures and a very curious observer of the human species, I'm particularly partial t0 stealthily spying on flight attendants (Does that sound as creepy as I think it does? It's innocent, I swear!). I think they fascinate me because they hold this very particular place in popular culture. They are so many things at once: They serve food, make sure their "guests" are comfortable with tiny pillows and rough blankets, they calm jangled plane nerves, smile super big, and wear uniforms complete with codes of dress concerning makeup, hair, manicures, and accessorizing. Also, in a "we're going down!" pinch, they should be able to save your life. I'm wrapt by the multi-tasking of it all and have much respect for the flight attendants among us. I have even more respect for them when I watch this 1960s era commercial and see just how much sexism and objectification they have dealt with over the years.



Could you imagine this being the commercial advertising your airline? I mean they are practically offering you her "services" for your next overnight flight. Air strip? Look like a girl? Oh, dear. Thank god for feminism. I wonder what will look this ridiculous in years to come...

Hide the Scissors.

I've been awash in urges to cut my own hair lately. Why, you ask? Because this weekend I ran into one half of my absolutely favorite lesbian, guitar wielding, keyboard-playing, lyric-writing, tattooed, hysterically funny, twin duo Tegan and Sara.

I wasn't sure which one I spotted walking towards me in Central Park on Friday at first, so a "Um, Teegan...or Sara?" got the encounter started in a slightly awkward way. But, Sara (it was Sara) was incredibly cool and handled my geeky fawning so graciously. We talked about good venues in New York City and where they might be playing next time they come around on tour and then she shook my hand and told me to enjoy the rest of my stroll in the Park. She was so sweet. So, anyway I have a nice little summer cold going on and got sucked into watching many a Youtube clip of T&S (Ha! I wrote T&A at first! Freudian slip) while sniffling this weekend. Now I want an assymetrical haircut so badly. And lots-n-lots of tattoos. And flannel shirts. And a twin...

Photos of Tegan and Sara by Lindsey Byrnes.

I usually don't stop celebrities when I spot them in New York. I really don't think that just because I recognize someone it gives me the permission to interupt their day so that I can say later that I met them. But, Tegan and Sara are some of my favorite musicians. Their lyics are so well written and they use them to build songs in this really honest, emotionally raw way. I've cried my little heart out to a bunch of their music when I needed a good, cathartic moment and I've danced my ass off to their other songs when I needed to thrash around a bit. Music like that, that moves you and let's you let go, is such a gift. I wanted to thank her for that, and for being so damn funny. In retrospect, I really wish I would have thanked her for this photo too, which is one of my favorite visual things ever:

It's so simple, but so gorgeous, and it has immitators!

It was just used as a a fleeting photo in a video short, but that's a shot of SNL's Amy Poehler and Casey Wilson donning the duo's signature green stripe.

I don't know if I have the cajones to rock an assymetrical haircut. Maybe I'll source the wig shop the SNL girls used...

Anyways, Tegan and Sara are wonderful. If you don't know them and their music yet, get caught up before their new album, Sainthood (not Thainthood) comes out in October. You can start with this video of the two making the title track of their last CD, The Con. Youtube will lead you through their universe from there...

I Thee Wed.

In anticipation of an exhibit on wedding fashions to be held in 2013, The V&A Museum is creating a database of reader-provided wedding photos that showcase the dress, the tux, the sari, the lederhosen, or the kilt that the bride or groom donned for their trip down the aisle from 1840 to the present. The photos will include as much contextual information as possible regarding the date, place, time, and names of the betrothed. With years to go before it's done, the database promises to be a rich resource for anyone interested in wedding dresses. If you have your own wedding photos, you are invited to upload up to three snaps featureing the bride and or groom. If you are always the bridesmaid and never the bride, you are invited to view the photos wistfully (or with rage or ambivalence, whatever) and learn a thing or two about how we dress to profess our love.

I do love wedding photos.

Keep It All.

The Chinese contemporary artist Song Dong has installed his piece "Waste Not" in the large atrium of the Museum of Modern Art. The large scale piece neatly arranges and displays each and every single item he extracted from his hoarding mother's home. Every article of clothing, every plastic bottle, every button, and every shoe the home contained is stacked and grouped in precise arrangements.

The show, which looks amazing, is on view at MoMA through September 21. Check it out on a Friday night and Target foots your bill, it'll be as crowded as "Waste Not" but it'll be free.

Photos: The New York Times

The Drugs Don't Work.

Dash Snow photographed by Mario Sorrenti.

Artist Dash Snow existed at that border that draws its perforated line between art and fashion. His bearded, tattooed self, his penchant for suspenders, hats, and long hair landed him a spot in front of some of the fashion world's most celebrated lenses, including those snapped by Terry Richardson and Mario Sorrenti. But, Snow's main occupation was that of an artist. His Polaroids, collages, drawings, and graffiti pieces all documented a life of raucous partying and drug use. On some level the artwork read as a record of fun high jinks; a kind of "kid with a camera" aesthetic used to capture graphic sex, public pranks, and disappearing lines of blow. But now Dash is dead and his photos of himself covered in blood, of his friends smoking crack and sticking themselves with needles, are more disturbing than ever.

The idea that creativity requires some sort of artificial lubricant, some substance, some energy that burns it's purveyor like explosives at both ends, needs to be fought hard. That idea kills people, and it sends a message to so many middle Americans that creativity is deadly, insanity-inducing, and dangerous. Yet, people of all ilks could use the release and transformative power of creative expression. It is sad that another talented person succumbed to addiction, very sad. To me it is even sadder that he was venerated for the clear signs of his self-destruction. People bought his art, funded his projects, put his bloodied photos on their gallery walls long after it was quite obvious that he was not well. There are aspects of our culture that are so disturbing. One is that desire to watch people unravel, to get just close enough to their incinerating selves to feel the heat, but not to scorch ourselves.

I have nothing but compassion for the struggle of addiction and substance abuse. I don't mean to be insensitive to Dash Snow's memory by speaking of him in this way, quite the contrary. It's just sad that there is yet another exemplary warning against glamorizing the self-destructive lifestyle. There is nothing edgy about it. There is nothing cool, nothing glamorous about tearing yourself apart from the inside out. It's torture and pain. Nothing good comes of placing it on a pedestal, or a gallery wall. For the sake of his family and friends, I hope his death means there will be less cautionary tales to come. And, may he rest peacefully.

Installation shot of Dash Snow and Dan Colen’s "Nest" (2007).
Image via NYmag.com

Creationism.

Issey Miyake is a clean palette in fashion's hyper trend-driven world. His designs are calming in such an organic way, without reaching for their end result. It's as if calm is their natural state. If they aren't light and transparent as the atmosphere, his sculpted garments appear to have protective, cocoonlike qualities.

In a poignant Op-Ed piece recently published in The New York Times, Miyake shed some light on why his clothing is the way it is. In his piece he speaks openly and honestly for the first time in a public forum about being a witness to, and survivor of, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima by The United States in 1945. As a boy of seven that day Miyake saw things "no one should ever experience: a bright red light, the black cloud soon after, people running in every direction trying desperately to escape". He sees them still--every time he closes his eyes. He lost his mother to the blast. Her health failed within three years of the bomb.

Miyake attributes his reluctance to share his Hiroshima experience before now largely to his life long desire to focus on the beautiful things that are possible through creativity, rather than the things that were so devastatingly destroyed right before his eyes. His clothing is his salvation, his healing and his way to prove that beauty and peace can outlast, or rather act as a salve for the scars of so much indigestible violence. Sometimes design (especially in the realm of fashion) is perceived as something other than art, something less than. But, when seen as an expression of someone's healing, or their communication of such a humane state as serenity, it is remarkable in its ability to express ideas that go well beyond form and function.

Miyake's formula for healing unimaginable hurt has brought decades of beauty to store shelves and closets and the backs of people attending special events. That may seem trite to some, but to me it is a bold example of the transformative quality of pretty things. Next time you doubt the place of beauty (be it fashion, sculpture, painting, etc.) in today's financially strapped, bare bones, material world, think of how you feel when you see something visually pleasing. Do you feel like destroying? Or, do you feel like creating? It always makes me want to breathe deeper, to be more present, more thankful. Maybe that's just me? Hope not.

Miyake's Op-Ed piece was written with the hopes of enticing President Obama to participate in Japan's observance of Universal Peace Day so that he can take a step "toward creating a world that knows no fear of nuclear threat." While I think it will take a lot more than a ceremonial photo op of Obama crossing a peace bridge to bring actual peace, who knows? Sometimes pleasing visuals have a transformative quality.

To read the article in full, please click here. All images are property of their respective owners. Please click image for source information.

You Feel So Good Upon My Lips...

My friend Rahul Sharma is the blogger behind Rahul Owns Your Soul. He's the most amazing miner of cultural excellence from the sludge of the mainstream and he's deemed this newish ditty from Basement Jaxx one of his songs of the summer.



I couldn't agree with him more, and I can't stop rocking out to this song. Now that we finally have sunshine in our lives again (did you know average rainfall for the month of June is 3" and we had 10"!) this song is a sweet, bright ode to love and not a reminder of weather patterns. Makes me want a Ronald Wigman raindrop tee...

(Click it to get it.)

One/One-Thousand: David Sims

David and one of his subjects.

David Sims is British. That makes him preeety cool. He's also a fashion photographer with all the right stuff. His sharp, geometric, linear style is the go-to, bold choice for fashion publications and brands that want editorials or ad campaigns with an edge. He's one of the more distinctive photographers in the fashion realm and his style is super recognizable. Sometimes he gets all full of himself, playing with volume by shooting billowing fabrics on skinny models, but mostly he keeps the angles angular and the posers in quick motion. His shots are often black and white, but his color is captivating and rich. Here's some of his work:

In a fairly recent project for W Magazine Sims photographed French opera singer Alexandra Deshorties mid-aria and wound up with simply gorgeous results that are both moving and in motion. Here is a video of the photoshoot taking place and a selection of the finished product.

It's hard to describe just how beautiful I find these images. I think this project is the perfect pairing of Sims and a subject. There's so much emotion there. And, the fact that Deshorties is not a model makes it somehow more authentic, more genuine. Sometimes W Magazine gets it so right. Sometimes...not so much. But just scroll back up to refocus on the positive.