Kitson Xanax and Vicodin Tees

Some people are fine with it and some are freaking out that Kitson's is selling these tees.  Guess which side I fall on?  (Get me the size Medium)

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Tepees Criscross The Atlantic

...screamed the headline @ the New York Times.

Actually, Tepees first began in the US with the American Indians. Long before the consumer-crazed yuppies started decorating their events with them. The hipsters are re-branding and claiming it while upgrading it into a fashion accoutrement. Thanks to Ralph Lauren's daughter and Kate Moss; according to the article.

I had a friend who built one in the 70s because he was talented like that and he was a true man of the woods. I also like them for outdoor festivals and for camping. It goes along with cooking over a campfire outdoors and is definitely acceptable if you're also using the bathroom (thank me now for cleaning this part up) in the woods-- compost style.

It crosses the line and makes me batshit crazy when you're buying matching pink Tepees for your daughter's Sweet Sixteen or find yourself describing one as fabulous. I would say at least have the decency to mention the American Indians instead of the latest fashion gurus when you tweet about it but I'm sure that's asking for far too much.

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If I had these shoes...

...I'd be on the floor, too. Resting.

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Stephen Sprouse

LIVING ON: BOOK AND EXHIBITION OF STEPHEN SPROUSE

Rock On Mars

Deitch Project Gallery
January 09, 2009 — February 28, 2009
18 Wooster Street, New York

Rock on Mars, a retrospective exhibition of the work of Stephen Sprouse, will transform Deitch Projects’s 18 Wooster Street gallery into a realization of Sprouse’s rock and roll futuristic vision.

Stephen Sprouse (1953-2004) was one of the most influential fashion designers of his time and a key figure in the dynamic mix of punk rock, wild style graffiti, and street influenced fashion that characterized the downtown New York community in the early 1980s. He was one of the first to build on the influence of Andy Warhol to create a fusion of art, music and fashion. He continued on a course that disavowed any division among these fields throughout his career.

In conjunction with the exhibition project, Marc Jacobs has created a new collection for Louis Vuitton, inspired by Sprouse’s famous collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 2001, which featured the classic monogram bag scrawled with Stephen Sprouse graffiti. The new limited edition Stephen Sprouse – Louis Vuitton collection will be available in Louis Vuitton stores worldwide from January 9, 2009, the opening date of the exhibition.


Amazon | link | link | link

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Gareth Pugh | Spring 2009 | Paris

Brit-kid designer Gareth Pugh had a lot to prove in Paris last night.

"Fetish-lite" for Spring/Summer 2009 from Gareth Pugh is what I'd call it with the usual patent, latex and pvc. His collection was entirely in black and white, inspired by Hamlet, Millais' Ophelia and Elizabeth I.

See his whole collection from fashion week in Paris here.

Pugh, 27, one of the stars of London Fashion Week for the past three years, has built a cult following for his bizarre, cartoon-costume creations involving cyber-gothic ensembles in leather, metal and PVC, accessorized with masks, 'topiary' headgear and fetishistic footwear. Read More »

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Bad Unkl Sista

Bad Unkl Sista
So inventive with her badass DIY creations. And she taught herself to sew. (via)

MySpace | Make a shrug from a t-neck

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The Westwood Beat

Vivienne Westwood is set to bring the beat back this season as she launches her first ever compilation album, Catwalk Breakdown, released on September 15 at an exclusive launch event in Selfridges' Oxford Street store.

It features everyone from Billy Fury and New York Dolls to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra not to mention Mae West doing "Great Balls of Fire."

I love how she keeps on going and going and going as she's constantly inspired and must create. Such an inspiration to this old bird.

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You May Not Be Cool, But Your Baby Can Be

BABY WIT - You May Not Be Cool, But Your Baby Can Be

Lovely Tattoo Shift Dress at Baby Wit for your small child or grandchild but I just can't justify buying one for my grandson, Phoenix (who's a year old September 9). Nice, affordable stuff for kiddies.

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Elena Gregusova

“Wearing The News”

Designer Elena Gregusova is currently appearing at EnviroCouture in Vancouver, BC.

Haute Art from the Waste Container. (via)

Part of getting to live so long is that I can enjoy watching things like this inch their way from the odd and the weird into the acceptable. Not that anyone reading here can relate to the odd and the weird, right? :)

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Central Park to Host Exhibition Pavilion by Zaha Hadid

Central Park to Host Exhibition Pavilion by Zaha Hadid

This October, New York City's Central Park will serve as the sole American venue for Mobile Art, a traveling international exhibition housed in a gleaming futuristic pavilion designed by London-based architect Zaha Hadid.

Commissioned by Chanel, Mobile Art presents changing installations of works by foremost contemporary artists from Europe, the United States, Asia, Russia, and Latin America, each of whom has made a unique piece for the project exploring the visual, conceptual and cultural possibilities in the convergence of fashion and art.

That it displays Chanel fashions is purely incidental.

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Hail McQueen

Hail McQueen

Alexander McQueen has entered a bold new phase, with a fabulous fall collection, a stunning L.A. store and even an unexpected lightness of being.

In Alexander McQueen’s new, gracefully curved store on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, the imposing figure of a man—a wingless angel, actually—rendered in shiny stainless steel extends through a circular skylight, his head outlined against the clear L.A. sky.

For his fall fashion show in February, McQueen told a tale inspired by the ancient elm in his garden, about a girl who lives in a tree but eventually flees its leafy oppression to find love, sunshine and a bounty of spectacular frocks. [More »]

See his LA and Vegas stores @ Pentagram


Alexander McQueen

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A Walk on the Dark Side

Gothic: Dark Glamour

"The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) will present Gothic: Dark Glamour, the first exhibition devoted to the gothic in fashion, from September 5, 2008 through February 21, 2009." "The main gallery space will be designed as a labyrinth, featuring iconic themes such as Night, with black evening dresses; the Ruined Castle, with fashion inspired by gothic images of the Dark Ages, ruins, and fragments; and the Laboratory, where futuristic fashion "monsters" are created." (2008, www.fitnyc.edu)

Gothic Dark Glamour features designs from many other international designers, some included in the show are: Alexander McQueen, Ann Demeulemeester, Comme des Garçons, John Galliano for Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Hussein Chalayan, Christian Lacroix, Gareth Pugh, Kei Kagami, Thierry Mugler, Rick Owens, Anna Sui, Olivier Theyskens, Jun Takahashi of Undercover, and Yohji Yamamoto.

Will we see the fashion old guard turning out goth-like Chanel suits for their ladies who lunch? Eek! But it will be exciting to see what Pugh, Theyskens, the amazing Jun Takahashi (Underworld), and the others pull off.

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STEAMPUNK

STEAMPUNK

A Retro Design Movement That's All About the Future

Whether you love it or hate it, it's here to be mainstream-ed. The New York Times profiled it last weekend.

Steampunk style clothes and designers have been around for a long time as have authors, performance artists, and musicians (DeVotchKa, Rasputina, Abney Park) around the world. The local Burlesque reviews and caberet shows are appearing in most every town across the country. Some people are over it and think it's silly but I like the return to this bygone era and admire the beauty and creativity.

Kat Bret has a nice photo portfolio and you can see how she pulls from different periods so skillfully. She really captures the clothing and style of that dark, mad max melancholy, steampunk, whateverthefuckyouwannacallit genre. You're welcome. NSFW

"The term "steampunk" is a play on cyberpunk, a type of near-future science fiction where rebellious hackers use handmade tech to wage virtual warfare with corporations and governments. Steampunk was a term used almost jokingly as a name for science fiction that was set in the Victorian era as opposed to the virtual future, but which still featured rebellious protagonists utilizing strange technology. In steampunk, the punk is not a computer hacker, but a mechanical one. I do believe the pendulum has swung."



Abney Park

for more on Steampunk:
Workshop | PaperMag | Wired | Jake von Slatt | Jeff Vandermeer | Datamancer | Treehouse | Flickr | More Flickr | Maker Faire

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Tiffa Novoa 1975-2007

Tiffa Novoa 1975-2007 Costume Designer, Performance Artist.

Tiffa was not just a fashion designer, she invented an entire aesthetic style. She was not just one of the founding members of a notorious performance troupe, she helped to create an entire subculture.

She wasn’t just a visionary artist, she was a force of nature whose ripple effects inspired, and will continue to inspire, her closest friends and countless, thousands, of people who are likely not even aware that this is the woman responsible for their inspiration.

El Circo [is credited] with creating the postapocalyptic fashions that many now associate with Burning Man. Most of the original El Circo fashions, which convey both tribalism and a sense of whimsy, were designed by member Tiffa Novoa, who has since hit it big with her Onda Designs.

Tiffa Novoa, the legendary Bali based mind behind fine and exotic couture was teamed up with Evan Sugarman to form the now infamous fashion system, ERNTE Fashion Systems.

via

An Example of Her Work

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NOKI'S HOUSE OF SUSTAINABILITY

NOKI did not disappoint at London's Fashion East show with a melange of thrift that appeared to be styled by Edward Scissorhands.

Jonathan "JJ" Hudson is a club kid cum music industry stylist who goes by the name NOKI and he states that House of Sustainability is not for sale. Something of a recluse you'll rarely see pictures of him (then only with trademark mask) and he doesn't want to sell you clothes.

The Noki House of Sustainability (NHS) is about inspiring everyone to have a bash at customizing and recycling their old stuff. You don't have to go nuts attacking an old bridesmaid's dress with scissors and pvc- try altering necklines and hemlines or head to a haberdashers and get some beads to tart up a plain top.

Appropriately enough, both Gareth Pugh and his mate, BoomBox founder and current patron saint of London drag queens, Richard Mortimer, were in the front row.



Via: Inhabitat | MySpace | More »

I'm passionate about alternative design. And I like that D&B has introduced riding crops in their collection. (Dominatrix, party of one?) Can't you see scores of women casually carrying a crop?

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W E B T R A I L

W E B T R A I L

Prada Rehab Rock - Damien Hirst and his ex-junkie friend Antony Genn team up to rock out Fashion Week (soberly). link

Stripes, Harlequin, Rubber, Vinyl are themes of Designer Gareth Pugh. His creations are more akin to fetishwear than fashion, but that's a bad thing, why? The old guard aren't sure whether to salute him or shoot him. Fall/Winter 2007 collection hereand Spring 2007 here.

Big City Orchestrae will be heading to Europe in September for their first tour overseas in six years! Great news, Ninah Pixie! link

Dave Nitsche - Conceptual Photography link

This graying hippie makes the nightly, winding climb 18 feet to her cozy bedroom. She wakes to roosters' crows and the scents of dewy soil. Over breakfast, her view is a jungle of towering trees, no hint of hustle and bustle.

Shawnee Chasser lives in a treehouse above a secret garden in the middle of Miami. For 15 years, she has lived atop the 1.5-acre nirvana of green trees and farm animals behind a row of houses 10 minutes from downtown. And she advertises on Craigslist and rents out rooms for $380 a month. Really. link

Fuck the DNA - The evolution continues with the return of Genesis P-Orridge and Psychic TV link

Revenge of the Weirdos? The decidedly nonconformist Animal Collective takes New York. link

The intelligent want self-control; children want candy. --Mevlana Rumi (1207 - 1273)

***UPDATE: Wow! I had the title (W E B TR A I L) set on font 150 instead of 150%; hope I didn't make anyone go blind.

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FESTIVAL WEAR

FESTIVAL WEAR

"Festival Wear" these days must be an ass kicking money maker. While we were still twisting one up behind the main stage, evidentially someone was planning a whole line of festival wear for us festival lovers. The whole big bonanza superfest scene has become a tad bit crass where once it was almost pure-- in a non-virginal way, but pure of music and with the purest of intent.

Wasn't part of the whole festival concept in the beginning to share, trade, and barter? (I'll trade you my embroidered vest for your pipe) The music and the love was the fucking thing! Everything else was incidental. Extremely low maintenance. I know that clothes weren't very important, if you even wore them at all.

Websites and catalogs are now devoted to festival clothing, hats and other accessories specifically for the festivals and beyond. There's even a Burning Man Clothing Swap August 5. Illuminated clothes are fun. You may see a window display of "wellies" proclaiming "hip festival fashion" for any well respected festival goer. (Thanks, Deborah)

Lotus Moon, who is about as ethical as a company can be, has a trademark on those "Pixie Pockets" and Heretika has some similar pixie belts you may also see at gatherings. I'll cop to getting one for my sweet husband once but it was gifted to me. You can't fault a business for answering the call of what the market wants.

It's always about change. Burning Man is (some would say has been) going corporate. America's biggest counterculture jamboree is also a $10 million business. Now, Business 2.0 reports, it's trying to leverage its brand -- and save the planet -- by (gasp!) inviting corporate participants.

link | via

So, is change good when it's profitable? Does money fuck everything up? Will Lassie find Timmy in the well?

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Tibet House Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall

Smith and Tibetan monks at Carnegie Hall Monday night. Photo: AP

Death loomed large at the Philip Glass curated benefit concert for Tibet House U.S. Monday night at Carnegie Hall, when a parade of legendary talents - among them Lou Reed, Patti Smith, and Michael Stipe - performed numbers in honor of deceased friends. And as if that weren't depressing enough, when the thrilling succession of reimagined hits and covers stopped, we suddenly realized that all our idols onstage talking about death will die, too. Oh, God.

There were chanting monks, a beautiful, minimalist set from Sigur Rós, and Ben Harper. Debbie Harry happily danced to an acoustic version of "Heart of Glass." And then came Lou Reed, the first to sing about getting old. Ray Davies harkened back to the Kinks' glory days, getting the crowd to sing along with "Lola," "Sunday Afternoon," and "Dedicated Follower of Fashion." He admitted to being foggy about why, exactly, he was there: "This is a great event. I'm not sure of all the details, but the spirit moved me." And then he, too, got wistful about age. "Being in a band at this point in my life is a separation anxiety of the worst sort," he said. "We never know when we'll meet again.

"A very chatty Stipe sang a duet of "Everybody Hurts" with Smith; then he performed "Chorus and the Ring," written in honor of two dead friends, Kurt Cobain and William S. Boroughs, and dedicated to Karin Berg, the A&R rep who'd originally signed R.E.M., the Cars, and Television, who died in 2006. "I've never sung it live before," he said, "other than with my band in my apartment yesterday."

It may have been the best concert we've seen in years, and the night belonged to Smith. She did an amazing cover of "Within You Without You," in honor of George Harrison's birthday on Sunday; she rocked "1959," the rousing antiwar anthem she wrote "addressing the rise of the Beats, the takeover of Tibet by the Chinese, and the beautiful Chevy Impala"; she and Glass gave an incredible tribute to departed friend Alan Ginsberg. Back in 1995, a few months after her husband's death, Smith explained, Ginsberg had brought Smith out of her seclusion to perform at a Tibet House benefit. Every year since Ginsberg's death, Smith and Glass have performed his poem "Wichita Vortex Sutra." Monday night it rose on a slow crescendo till Smith intoned in strident staccato, "I declare the end of the war!"

If only it were that easy. —Jada Yuan

Stipe sang the R.E.M. oddities "New Test Leper," and "Chorus and the Ring," which he said developed after conversations he had with the late beat poet William S. Burroughs. The latter song has never been performed by R.E.M., according to Stipe.

All of my favorite people were there --must have been really great. Let's see if I can find a podcast or mp3 link of the music.

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Nena Von Schlebrugge

Uma? No. It certainly looks like Uma Thurman. It's Nena Von Schlebrugge, Uma's mother, as she gets ready to wed Timothy Leary. (She later divorced Leary and married Tibetan scholar, Dr. Robert Thurman.)

Nena was 28 when she met Leary, who was then 45, at his annual Fourth of July party upstate in Millbrook. According to Robert Greenfield (who recently wrote a bio of Leary), she told the mind-altering Harvard professor that she "wanted to go to India to seek ultimate wisdom, not to mention the secret sexual practices of the Orient."

"They took LSD and three days later they decided to get married," recalls Leary's ex-girlfriend Peggy Hitchcock.

Their Millbrook nuptials were a "phantasmagoric, magical mystery tour, the first real big coming-out party for all the A-list, jet-set, high-fashion beautiful people from New York who had recently discovered LSD," writes Greenfield. "Guests lined up to present the newlyweds with hash, grass and psychedelic mushrooms, as well as snuffboxes filled with LSD and cocaine." The wedding cake was crowned with the Hindu deities Shakti and Siva having sex.

You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You
By D A Pennebaker
1964, 12 minutes, Black & White

Watch Video (Quick Time)

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It's way past time to give out the Dickhead Award and I decided on Dick Cheney for his pure detached insensitivity.

While tens of thousands of Hurricane survivors were left homeless and hungry (that is, if they were lucky enough to not be dead), Vice President Dick Cheney decided it was a great time to go mansion shopping. You heard me right: mansion shopping. These assholes aren't even trying to look like they care anymore. According to the Washington Post, Dick Cheney was checking out real estate in St. Michaels, a tiny resort town on the Maryland's Eastern Shore. Apparently "Cheney's house," which is listed at $2.9 million, "backs up in spectacular fashion to an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay." How charming. But I suppose it is possible that I am being too hard on the Vice President. Given the timing of the purchase, I think there may be something else going on here. Maybe Vice President and Mrs. Cheney were so distressed by the stories of displaced families from New Orleans that they are buying the property in order to use it for emergency housing for hurricane survivors. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Then after the guy in New Orleans who yelled Go Fuck Yourself, Cheney, got handcuffed by his Cheney's 'aids', he just seemed like the right choice for latest my Dickhead Award. via

And if he doesn't like it, he can go Cheney himself.

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