spring couture favourites

I finally managed to take a peak at the Spring 2010 Couture looks. Here are some of my favourites from the collections:

Photos from style.com.

<3

tiki-mania-maori

Anne-Sofie Madsen. Danish Design School 2009 graduate. Maori-inspired. Other than that, I think the clothes speak for themselves.

And I think they are saying "Someone please get us into Carolyn's wardrobe. It's where we belong!"

Also, check out her amazing illustrations.

This is just...like someone more talented and competent me crawled into my head and produced the vision that I am incapable of producing.

Images from Cyana Trendland.

Now, back to the reality that is three essays in ten days. Egads.

the great gaga debate.

I have a love/hate relationship with Lady Gaga. A Bad Romance one might say.

Everytime a new music video comes out, I watch it several times and search deep into my soul in an attempt to discover my true feelings about Lady Gaga. I have yet to come to a conclusion. Everytime, I absolutely hate the song at first. Despise it. They all sound the same and I'm just not a fan of the dark pop with a sudden and seemingly incongruous ballad-esque chorus. It irks me.

But the videos interest me. Do I like them? Do I understand them? Do I think they are a bit over-the-top, taking themselves too seriously, or do I think her exaggerations are playful and perhaps even tongue-in-cheek? Let's face it, if I were a pop star I would wear and do the most outrageous things if I could get away with them. I just don't know how to answer these questions. I don't even know whether I want to like her/her music or not. It's the greatest unresolved question in my life at the moment (besides, what the hell am I doing with my life? of course).

So I've been trying to keep a tally, keeping the score between Pro-Gaga me and Anti-Gaga me. Upon first hearing "Bad Romance," Anti-Gaga won a point for hating it on the initial listen as expected. Pro-Gaga won a point for finding myself humming the tune in the library afterward. Then Anti-Gaga won one because I realised I was actually humming "Paparazzi" and just couldn't tell the difference. But then I watched video and Pro-Gaga might have temporarily taken the lead thanks to a name you might know: Alexander McQueen.

Mr. McQueen is another character I'm not always sure about. Sometimes I think his lines are overwrought and too ridiculous. Then sometimes I think they are brilliant. I never can tell what I'll think, though I'd say overall I am a fan. I thought Spring 2010 was awesome mainly because it reminded me of dinosaurs, my favourite animals after elephants.

I guess if I were hip I would have already been in the know that "Bad Romance" was premiered at the Spring 2010 show. But I'm not hip and I didn't know that. So I was excited to see that someone was wearing the dinosaur and deep sea like creations, because I sure can't afford to.

Deep Sea

Love how the shoes look all burnt up.

Okay, so this isn't deep sea, but a pretty crazy dress. Not that I promote wearing bears.

Dinosaur!

She even has the hair!

Oh, and these aren't McQ related, but also sort of creepy future reptile/dinosaur like shots from the video:

 

Creepy/cool.

So, score one for Pro-Gaga I guess. But I did not like the cheesy close-ups of her "sobbing." Unfortunately I wasn't convinced. I'm much more into the fashion power bitch Gaga. So, score one for Anti-Gaga? Maybe a half-point.

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Now that you know my thoughts on Lady Gaga you can all sleep well at night. I, however, still have yet to resolve this "Bad Romance." Okay, I'll stop using that pun.

bedazzled.

Tigress by Matt Caplin on flickr

[this girl is only nine years old!]

I remember the day an elder of mine assured me that I could still be beautiful, even with my freckles. In fact, she told me, my great aunt was a model - and she has freckles and red hair.

That was the first day I realised that freckles weren't traditionally seen as a dash of adorable sun sprinkles, but as blemishes.

I think I had better body image and self-confidence as a child than I do now, because I don't remember being all that traumatized by the comment. I just didn't find my freckles ugly. Because they aren't.

Colleen

This little memory came back when I spotted Colleen @ Red Model Management. Her freckles are outstanding and make her look like a living work of art.

Another speckled model I'm currently loving is Nicole from America's Next Top Model. She is definitely my favourite.

They haven't yet maximized on her freckles (in fact it looks like most often they Photoshop them out), but hopefully an up-close beauty shot will bring them out soon.

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I've never been completely enamored with my freckles, but I've never understood the bad rep they sometimes get. My freckles are just a part of me. I'd feel naked without them!

eat cake.

As you may have guessed, for Halloween I was Marie Antoinette. Considering that thrift shops were the main sources for my costume (minus the wig), I think I still pulled off a costume fit for the French queen.

With cake (see below) and champagne of course!

(Well, sham-pagne...Baby Duck!)

I am dead, in case you are wondering about my ghastly appearance. You can just glimpse my neck scar under my volumnous head.

My roommates and I had a lovely gathering, and of course no gathering or Marie Antoinette costume is complete without cake!

Marie Antoinette Image (c) Sony

Two variations of pumpking cupcakes: one with Black Chocolate Buttercream and one with Orange Ginger Cream Cheese Icing. Yum. Recipe courtesy of my mother's friend, so I don't have permission to re-post. But it was delicious.

'Twas a lovely Halloween. I'm already weighing options for next year!

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And I know Marie Antoinette didn't actually say "Let them eat cake." I had prepared for some party poopers to bring up this fact. But for the sake of a mildly clever Halloween costume, let's pretend she did. That's what Halloween is all about. She never rose from the dead and drank Baby Duck in Hamilton in thrift shop clothes. As far as I know, anyway.

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On my way home from the Department Halloween party, a lady stopped me in the street and asked to take my picture. I felt so street-style. So Sartorialist. Except it was a frumpy short lady with crooked teeth who kept spitting when she spoke. So, Sartorialist Steel Town edition. Now that would be a pretty spectacular blog. Perhaps if I see her again I shall suggest it.

(She was very nice though.)

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Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween.

two.

Some short videos for you:

"The Writing on the Wall"
by Freja Beha Erichsen

"Feminist"
by Nick Knight
starring Beth Ditto



Two very different images of the female body. Any reactions?

springspiration for halloween

Any guesses as to what I'm being? Probably not too tricky to figure out.

Hopefully thrift shopping tomorrow will yield some promising results.