The Ooooooo '00s: Best Fashion Ad

I'm gonna give out some end of the decade awards over the next few days because that's what people with blogs do when a decade ends, right? Although, did anyone have a blog the last time a decade ended? Hmmm, I don't think so. No matter; let the awarding begin!

My award for Best Fashion Ad goes to the team at Marc Jacobs for bagging Victoria Beckham.

The brilliance of this ad is like a million fold. Shot by Juergen Teller for a 2008 campaign, the stark ad threw out the celebrity obsession, literally. The industry's over hyped infatuation and exploitation of the idea of celebrity was at a fever pitch in '08, and Marc was at its flaming hot center. With show delays hitting the two hour mark because of tardy flashbulb seeking fashionistas, Marc caught tons of fed-up flack from editors, writers, and buyers who said "Enough with the celeb ass-kissing, we have a business to run here!" So, in a brilliant message to the masses, Marc took one of his greatest offenders, the preening, pouting, designer-wanabe Victoria Beckham and friggin' bagged her. Those are her over-bronzed legs hanging out of that large shopping bag in those phenomenally quirky sideways heels. Not long after he published this ad, Jacobs took on a new role: as the task master of fashion shows that started at the moment they were called for, and no later. In fact, in his most recent run of shows, Jacobs disinvited any non-essentials--meaning no special celeb guests (well, except for Madonna of course) leaving all the prime seats for the buyers and the business folk. And, in taking these anti-celeb measures Marc garnered even more press. He's smart, that one.

Wow! Congrats Marc, you also win the door prize for most insane tattoos!

You can share it with the M&Ms and Spongs Bob and Cartman and your dog. I know that's a lot of sharing, but that's a lot of tattoos.

The Man Makes The Clothes.

Mr. Greenfield at work in his Brooklyn factory.

Martin Greenfield is an arbiter of more than just phenomenal style; he's the designer's tailor. His work ethic is the stuff American Dreams are made of--he started at Brooklyn's GGG Clothing as an entry-level floor boy in 1947, and by 1977 the Czechoslovakian Holocaust survivor bought out his bosses and renamed the place after himself.

Martin Greenfield Clothiers has been the go-to New York manufacturer for fine, tailored garments for over three decades now. Greenfield pops up now and again--whether in The Times or on a fashion site--as a reminder that he is still the man making the clothes that make the man. His talents are obvious in the area of business, but don't let his head-honcho position fool you. Martin knows how to set the perfect pocket, shape the perfect shoulder, and chalk the perfect seam. His team of seamstresses, patternmakers, and alteration specialists are the best hands in the field and are sought out by big name private clients like Bill Clinton and the late Michael Jackson. Greenfield Clothier's work is impeccable and trusted by everyone from Isaac and Donna, to more contemporary houses like Boy by Band of Outsiders. The Selby recently featured the master tailor in his studio/factory, and captured all of the good Greenfield stuff on still film, just like The Selby always does. Here are some of my favorite shots:

P.S. That video above is about 8 minutes long, but it is phenomenal. I wouldn't miss it if I were you. This post makes me wish I had a need for a tailored suit. I feel an Annie Hall phase coming on...

Ah, Snooki Snooki.

Snooki meets the Queen.

There is so much faboo in the clip below. I looove Wendy Williams. I used to listen to her on the radio in Jersey for hours. I would plan drives around when her show was on. Now that's she's on TV I'm wishing I had one again. Whatever, the best parts are on the Internets anyway. Click through the pic below to see my two favorite Jersey girls meet and greet:

So much hair action! So much boobage! All the dragqueens are jeaulous. Loves it.

The Story of Donna K. And The Cutest Clay Dress Ever!

Donna K. I think she made that shirt.

My fabulously talented friend Donna K. just participated in an art/literary combo project that resulted in the creation of the cutest claymation dress ever. The project is called Single Sentence Animation and it's produced by the progressively hip literary journal Electric Literature, which publishes its issues in each and every way (via paper, Kindle, iPod, Tweet, etc.) effectively utilizing the Interwebs and new technology without bemoaning the state of the printed word. The Single Sentence project teams a writer with an animator and asks one to bring visual life to the other's work. Donna's piece is based on a sentence by Lydia Davis. It's about cows and it's equal parts cute and intriguing:



How wonderful are the cow thought bubbles? Randy and hungry, that's all that really matters, isn't it? Also, I'm not kidding when I say I want that clay dress. I love the stripes.

So, initially I was just going to show you Donna's piece above, but why stop there? The girl--ahem, woman--is full of talent. Her art is homespun and seriously handmade; from the stop motion projects she scripts, sculpts, scores, and films; to the paper pieces she puts together with old magazine photos and hand-set typeface. I'm such a fan of it all.

A selection of Donna's works on paper.

Donna is currently working on a project with her boyfriend/partner in crime Brent Green which involves a giant set that they've built by hand in the backyard of their barn in the woods in Pennsylvania. I can't wait to see the finished product. In fact, I can't wait to see the thing in progress. Donna keeps telling me amazing stories about their shooting adventures (like say, "There are ten little kids in the front yard fishing in holes we dug and stocked," or, "I'm on stilts!") and I keep threatening to show up on set. If only it weren't in The Middle of Nowhere, PA, then I'd be there all the time. Until I can make the trek, I have Donna's Flickr Stream to keep me company. Thank God for modern technology! Here are some Donna short film pieces, which all make me want wings:







She's good, right? The best part: She's sweet as pie.

All images are Donna's work and can be found on her Flickr Photostream.

Warm It Up, Chris.

You need heating up. Watch the late fashion photographer Herb Ritts' gorgeous dramatic-photos-in-motion video for Chris Isaak's Wicked Game:



I love this video. It's been around for twenty years! It still looks fresh and timeless and like the perfect way to spend warm day day. Oh, and Helena Christensen still looks that good too. Here she is talking about Global Warming in Peru. Again, warming you up, while making you more socially conscious.



Yes, I know Global Warming isn't to be taken lightly, but I just wanted to throw the word warming in the post. It's barely breaking 30 today people, I need to do what I can. I'm going to say it again: warming. Waaaaarmmmmmming. Ugh. It's still 20 degrees outside.

Gift It: Totes.

I don't often consider the usefulness of totes. I was inclined to think they were the hipster's territory, but I can no longer ignore their mass appeal. A good tote can serve as your primary bag (fits books, magazines, and notebooks perfectly), or can be folded up into your regular bag to keep on hand for grocery shopping or stuff collecting (I don't know...whatever). That's handy, no? Especially if you live in New York and you decide to go grocery shopping after you've already gone clothes shopping and there are so many things to carry that you wish you had another cotton/canvas bag with a cute print on it. Totes totally solve that. Also, they are ch-ch-cheap. Most are $15 or so, or you can stalk your favorite haunts and see if they ever give out a lil satchel with their logo on it, which has happened to me more than once. If you'd rather purchase than stalk, here are some bags from online boutique Little Paper Planes or your consideration:

Robots, spatulas, bikes, antler girls? There's something here for everyone! Click any of the images for more information.

Premuim Bad Idea Denim.

I can't tell you how many times I've giggled in my own head--well, ok, aloud...to myself about this old SNL commercial I just remembered existed and found thanks to the magic of the Interwebs. It's for a line of premium denim called Bad Idea Jeans.



Whenever I make a mistake, which is humblingly often lately as I've started a knew job, I blame it on my Bad Idea Jeans. Even if I'm not wearing jeans. It makes me feel better.

Finals Sale.

Finals are winding down and my friends who are enrolled at various institutions of higher learning are starting to emerge from their library/coffee shop study hovels. In honor of this auspicious time known as Winter Break, I'd like to give everyone some good school-related news. Regardless of how you did on finals, as long as you still have a current student ID, you qualify for a discount of 15% at J.Crew. The deal used to be valid on any purchase, but is now solely for use on full priced items (damn you, economy!!!). I know, the Crew can be tough on the wallet, but I've never once heard a complaint about their quality. So, if you have something you are dying to get, or if you have gift shopping to do, then you might as well use your smarts to do it wisely. I mean 15% is nothing to sniff at. It's not the $.02 you get back for reusing your grocery bags. It's enough to make the pricier basics, like tees for $29.50 a little more doable. Now you can have a nice tee and a fancy coffee. Tee and coffee for the old price of a tee. Not bad. Also, the discount extends to educators with IDs too. Get shopping, smarty pants.

And now, to soothe your weary, book-worn eyes, I offer one of my favorite things in life: A few of the J.Crew catalog color assemblages. I've featured these before, but I'm going to do it again.

Ah, your moment of catalog zen.

Tres Bonne.

The Spring Summer show season seems to be only a distant memory in my '00s-age attention span, but that doesn't have to be. The Sundance Channel is showing an excellent docu-show of the shows called HABILLÉES POUR L'ÉTÉ 2010 (DRESSED UP FOR SUMMER 2010). It's hosted by the ever-so-Frenchly-cute Agnes and it is entertaining, informative, bananas, beautiful, and fun (just like fashion weeks themselves!). Also, you could put me in front of almost anything that features a French accent and I'd be lulled into various states of joy. Here, watch it:













Oui, oui. No? Oui.

Just A Suggestion.

I want to be this illustration.

In the fashion business, the ability to convey clothing through art on paper is extremely important. How else does one get an idea from the mind of the designer to the needle of the seamstress? Putting dresses on paper is quite a skilled talent, requiring a knowledge of how much detail is enough. This talent isn't just for designers either. The job of a fashion illustrator is to dedicate their artistic skills to rendering the glitz, glamour, and gild of the sartorial world in ads and publications so that Conde Nast doesn't have to shell out boatloads of cash for photoshoots every time they want to show you something. Well, also, the illustrations are completely gorgeous works of art and are a nice, occassional break from envy-inducing supermodels. Fashion Illustration runs the gamut from super souped-up (think collages of fabric, glitter, flourecent colors) to paired down (think, well, Mats Gustafson).

Gustafson renders Yamamoto.

Simple suggestions of simple outfits.

Mats Gustafson was born in Sweden in 1951, but New York can now call him its own. He studied costume design at the Scandinavian Drama Institute and had his first illustration published in British Vogue in 1978. He soon moved to New York and started contributing to Interview when it was under the guidance of Andy Warhol and then he hit American Vogue. Now he works for many designers and fashion houses through both editorial and ad campaigns.

A face in ten lines or less.


A portrait of Linda Evangelista.


Papercuttings.


Watercolor washes.


Work for Tiffany.

The thing about his work is just how much it conveys with just so little. Some whispers of watercolor perfectly shape an iconic Yamamoto ensemble, some cuts of white paper instantly become a perfectly pleated, plisse dress. The simplicity of his work is remarkable, and it creates a mood that induces just as much envy in me as the photoshoots dripping with supermodels. I want to be a Gustafson; I want to be that sophisticated, elegant, and chic.

Strange and Stylin'.

Stylecon Charlotte Gainsbourg teams with Beck and makes a fantastically weird video.



Good, right? It's directed by the brilliant Keith Schofield. Check his reel. He's smartfunny.

Airbrush, With Greatness.

Ah, Jersey love.

The ridiculously enjoyable cheese and trash fest that is Jersey Shore is beyond satisfying for this Jersey Girl. I get a lot of flack for being from the nation's armpit, but I'm a proud Garden State citizen, and I love every unbelievably tacky, great thing about it--including it's Guiodos and Guidettes. Now, I could (if I were so inclined) upload a few pics here that would definitely prove that the Shore culture is nothing new, and that the Guidos have been running this state since I had a curling iron on perma-hot and stonewash wasn't ironic. Rather than risk ultimate embarrassment, I'm going to divert your attention to one of the more fantastic aspects of Jersey Shore culture: The airbrush tee.

If you are lucky, when you hit the boards at Seaside Heights, you'll stumble upon a shirtless brush master handcrafting a Jersey-tastic tee. Then, you think hard and come up with just what you want him to air pump onto cotton. The thing to remember is that beyond being stylin' the tee can be useful. You can profess your love for your mama, your guidette, ODB, or (my favorite) The Lady Gaga.

Junior loves you, Mama.


Nothing says forever in airbrush like dolphins.


Oh, ODB you are missed.






You can have your choice of Tony Montana odes.


You can have your company logo Jers-i-fied. How scared does that cow look? He's about to be processed!


Or, if you're me, you can get yourself a Gaga tee and rock it with all the pride of a real Jersey Girl who actually stayed in Shore houses before orange tans were all the pop rage. Yep.