Aren't those pencils really chopsticks?

Junya Watanabe


Ghillies







Comme Des Garcons


Ballet Shoes



My title sums up the juxtaposition and peculiarity that Comme Des Garcons achieves with its innovative designs. I recently visited the FIT's "Sporting Life" Exhibition. The exhibit explored the relationship between active sportswear and fashion. I saw these peculiar ballet shoes in a plastic case. I did not know whether they were actual ballet shoes or just women's shoes. The design was exact to that of ballet shoes but the material looked hard enough not to be. I knew in the back of my mind it had to be Comme Des Garcons. No designer like Rei would ever conjure an intriguing idea of ballet shoes and use it with black bondage straps to make it ready-to-wear. So, I explored more shoes that Comme Des Garcons or its brother label, Comme Des Garcons Junya Watanabe mixed ideas with. I came across a pair of women's flats that Junya Watanabe did a few years back. They looked similarly to Scottish country dance shoes "Ghillies." It is interesting to see how functional types of shoes transition into "fashion"-able shoes. When I say "fashion," I mean that they are a style for everyday wear. These shoes take the aesthetic of sportswear but modify it to rid of its functionality, which can sum up most of fashion.

Matthew Barney: DJED

What to say about Mr. Barney? I seriously do not have enough space on this blog to write about him. From the first impression, he is a very muscular man with sharp eyebrows.

Not to judge him from the physical appearance of this intelligent, grand artist, but definitely his work makes him an intimidating presence.

He is most known for this LONG, EXTENDED work called "The Cremaster Cycle."

It is a film that took him a decade to complete. They are, what I believe to be, the most interesting intermingling and connection of characters, narratives, mythologies, symbols, semiotics, and visual imagery I have seen. In one scene, Barney is in what looks to be a combination between a sports uniform, traditional Scottish "highland" dress, with his mouth morphing into that of a carnivorous animal.

Recently, he has presented a new work of sculptures and drawings titled "DJED." It was on display at the Gladstone Gallery from September 17-October 22. For this work, Barney used
large quantities of metal and decomposed and morphed them into these particular sculpture mounts to appear as if they were "excavated" out of the earth. His concept is a bit complex to explain because there are so many parts to it (a performance of the pouring of iron into gigantic cast molds, sculptural works, drawings, and a still unfinished opera attached to it). However, he references Norman Mailer’s 1983 novel Ancient Evenings as his inspiration. Mailer’s novel follows one ancient Egyptian soul through death and rebirth in three successive incarnations; in Mr. Barney’s opera—which hovers over “DJED” like the ghost of Egyptian grandeur over the British Museum—the hero is incarnate as multiple cars: a 1967 Chrysler Crown Imperial, a ‘79 Trans Am, and a 2001 Ford Crown Victoria. Although the concept of this set of work is difficult to wholly comprehend, the works are intriguing and beautiful to observe.

Life on the Subway

I take the G and L train daily to get to school. While I was walking to transfer, I saw this paper posted on a tile pole and I thought it was so interesting. "Jesus Takes Bad Dreams, Ask God." There are so many philosophical connotations with this phrase, but its just in a subway passageway. My interpretation of this phrase is that Jesus is just as human as us and will take any dream, even if it is "bad." But God, religiously-speaking, is the "father." The father knows best, he is strong enough to tell you what is wrong and compassionate enough to tell you what you can do instead. Also, God is truthful.

I think this image sums up the physical state of majority of New Yorkers after work. (oh yeah and Parsons Fashion students) :)

AHHHH!!! STOP THE VIRGENSS!!!!

Karen O, the wonderful, sensational singer of the fucking art punk group ' YEAH YEAH YEAHS!' recently wrote, organized, and performed in the psycho opera "Stop the Virgens" at St. Ann's Warehouse in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

"Stop the Virgens" is described as "an assault on the tragic joys of youth, fever dreams drenched in visual seduction, a cathartic spell spun through a cycle of nine songs." Its a visual, visceral, and sound-moving experience that has a narrative, but merely acts as a guide for the songs and music of the opera. The band is a quite extensive group of notable musicians in the music industry, Nick Zinner (music director too)and Brian Chase from the YYYs, Money Mark, Patrick Keeler, Jack Lawerence, and Jason Grisell just to name a few.

I was helping out the costumes for the show and the process was amazing. Christian Joy is so creative and sparkly (she likes sequins, anything sparkly) and down-to-earth. The costumes took a life on their own, especially a lobster claw for one costume. I just love her inspiration of historical costumes to add a "David Bowie" glam to them.



Fortunately, I went on opening night and it was such an amazing experience. Girls with white wigs with nothing but clothing strips wrapped around their chest and crotch. The whitest makeup on them and blood spewing out of their mouths. The music was playful and catchy, like much of Ms. O's music, which credits to the creative lyrics. In some songs, my whole body felt up because the sounds just hit some senses, it was cr-crazzyyy.



The show ran from Oct.12-22 (I should have posted this earlier but no one really reads my blog so its ok ;) )
Anyways, they might be releasing a CD of the compilation of the nine songs featured in "Stop the Virgens" so everyone can get a glimpse of the action of this thrill-ride of an opera!

Saville My Will!

Many of my past reflective journal entries were inspired by art work of Jenny Saville. She is an amazing, contemporary British painter that shows naked, curvy women in questionable, even erotic poses. She explores the life behind paint. Often, her portraits and paintings are up front, flesh-like representations of the manipulative quality that the human anatomy possesses. I personally admire her bluntness and crudeness to evolve certain human body parts into masses of meat. There is a certain seductive quality to the enormity of her bodies. In all, her exploration of the body displayed them not only as this anatomical beings but solid masses that had a physical depth and a psychological depth, especially with the poses and facial expressions of her models.

Ms. Jenny Saville is from Cambridge, England and is currently living and working in Oxford, England. She attended Glasglow School of Art, University of Cincinnati on a 6-month scholarship, and Slade School of Fine Art. During her stay in Ohio, Saville discovered "Lots of big women." The women were "big white flesh in shorts and T-shirts. It was good to see because they had the physicality that I was interested in" This interest was really explored more through her notable works of female bodies as masses of flesh.

This is the Queen Bee herself, Miss Jenny Saville.

SLUTWALK NYC 2011

"2, 4, 6, 8, Stop the Violence, Stop the Hate!"

Girls with bras, girls with no bras, candy-colored hair, fish nets, stilettos, 6-inch heels, thongs, tight clothing, short shorts, tacky make-up, a whole trainy mess was causing up a storm from Union Square to Broadway and 2nd Avenue.

What is going on with the world today?

Today was NYC Slutwalk and it was fucking bad-ass.

Slutwalk started from an incident that occurred in Toronto, Ontario, Canada when a police officer stated that "women should avoid dressing like sluts" to remain safe. The comment outraged the whole female community of North America with the degrading tone from an unlikely perspective.

The protest was a march with many young women dressed ordinarily or provocatively, like a "slut." It was exciting, loud, and powerful. Many chants and just a great experience!

"NYPD, Rape is a felony!"

STEPHEN JONES, Grow some bones

At the Bard Graduate Center on 86th Street, there is a magic show on display. The magician's name? Stephen Jones. The tricks he has to show, his hats.

Stephen Jones is one of the most prolific milliners in the world. He has created hats for catwalks of designers like Christian Dior, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood, Giles Deacon, Comme Des Garcons, Donna Karan, and L'Wren Scott. His hats cross the line of insanity into pure madness with the structure and extravagant characters that the hats take on.

But let's be honest, it's not all about Mr. Jones. This exhibition is a celebration of hats, from the traditional kinds that shaped a specific culture, to theatrical creations, whimsical ones, and the classics.

Let's celebrate the anthology of hats, from where they came from, to where they were, where they are now, and to where they will become!

THE MAN HIMSELF, MR.JONES

I was not breathing the whole time I was at the exhibit. This is the highest I have ever been.whoo (sorry Chris for the inappropriateness, I have to exaggerate)