Fashion: September 2010 Archives

Just in time for the end of fashion week and right when I finished reading The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, Marc Jacobs opened his latest namesake boutique, Bookmarc, featuring--you guessed it!--books, and lots of 'em. The petite corner shop replaces the former Biography Bookshop (newly relocated and renamed) and features a well-edited selection of art tomes and colorful paperbacks in addition to Marc's signature assortment of motley accessories (think journals, pencils, and cute book bags), which are specifically designed for and sold exclusively at the store. Also worth noting: Bookmarc carries Olympia Le-Tan's fantastically clever, hand-made and embroidered book clutches. I've got my eye on Mr. Dracula below...

... I love your Spring/Summer 2011 collection!!

(Love your fall collection, too).

I met Carlen Altman a few years ago during an improv class at Upright Citizens Brigade. We made each other laugh and may or may not have caused our teacher to quit halfway through our term (our teacher's hatred for both our constant snickering and a rather infamous--and well loved--Catholic School Girls sketch was no secret). Carlen always liked to call me a "beauty doll", which I thought was special until I realized she called everyone a beauty doll. Sometimes she would say it sweetly with a smile and other times like she was about to slice my throat open with a pencil. Either way, I found it endearing.

After several years in the big, bad city, Carlen has gone on to helm a variety of fantastic projects, one of which is her line of Jewish Rosaries. She was also featured in a bunch of cute outfits for a Lucky magazine spread awhile back. When I ran into her last night, she was wearing some of her newly designed pieces, and folks, they BLEW MY MIND. What you see above is a large, silver ring with a bearded man holding a tablet. What you don't see is that the beard can move up and down... like the man is ranting, chomping, or laughing at you from that middle finger. It's GENIUS.

Carlen also designed a zig-zag necklace (seen in the photo above) that transforms into a star, which you can see below.

She also has a chuckling pharaoh ring and a pyramid ring that opens up to reveal a mummy inside. Fantastic!!

All of these new pieces as well as a few more from her "Jew-elry" collection should be available soon. You should check out her blog for updates (and for a good laugh). This beauty doll is a serious riot.

I was at a wedding recently where many of the women looked relaxed, chic, and completely comfortable in what they were wearing. Usually, there's a lot of fuss, constant fluffing, and the frenetic taming of frippery. Not so at this wedding. One young lady was wearing a long silk dress, beautifully constructed and minimally adorned. Another had on a simple, roomy shift in a muted color that hit just above her knees. Ditto for another in simple sleeves and an unobtrusive print. All of this unfussy loveliness was the work of Vena Cava. It's also worth noting that most of the fashionable wedding guests were from Southern California. I'm probably not the first New Yorker to admit it, but LA style is kind of where it's at right now.

Thus, it came as no surprise that Vena Cava's Spring/Summer 2011 collection--designed in SoCal, of course--was all about laid-back, ladylike style. Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock (whose smiling sets of parents cheered them on from the front row along with indie lasses Annie Clark of St. Vincent and Eleanor Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces) were inspired by the 1980's Memphis Group design movement headed by legendary Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass. The Memphis movement is characterized by vibrant geometric shapes that are meant to be humorous, thought-provoking, and modernist in nature. Vena Cava constructed their own hanging structures in the middle of the runway, the models providing slow-gliding punches of red and gray between them. Makes me want to pack up and write poetry in Laurel Canyon by day, sip Prosecco on a succulent-strewn Silverlake patio by night...

September is my Christmas and New Year's all rolled into one. As a lifelong magazine lover (and hoarder), this is the month when the fashion and design Santas bestow us with their most triumphant, ad-strewn gifts. I've thumbed through almost all of the gigantasaurus beauty bibles, dogeared the best of the bountiful spreads, but the one I keep going back to is also the slimmest and least ad-heavy of the bunch. Say hello to Tokion magazine's new incarnation, FACTORY. Filled with wearable, well-styled clothes, pencil illustrations by Jenny Mörtsell, and some lovely fashion collages by Peggy Wolf, this is the little fashion gift that keeps on giving.

Must have these beauties from Tatty Devine's new collection!