Armani Privé: Spring 2009

Though the artistry in this collection is evident, sometimes the strength lies in the details or the parts as opposed to the whole. If you do check out the entire Armani Privé collection, I'm going to say that I'm not crazy about it but I am crazy about certain parts of it. The first image, well that's just overall a stunning dress and I love it. The second dress is also incredible with the floating quality of the intricate lacy patterns and the beautiful beige color. The third, a steel gray suit is perfect until we get to the skirt, which looks odd in contrast with the rest of the outfit. I think it needs to be a little less loose. Fourth image, slick purple suit material is amazing. The fifth and final image is a beautiful silhouette, the colors and qualities of the lacy fabric are lovely.

Chanel + Katsuya Kamo: Spring 2009 Haute Couture

These are detail shots of the incredible work that hairstylist Katsuya Kamo did for Chanel's Spring 2009 Haute Couture show. All of the elaborate flower headdresses you see adorning the models are made of white office paper. Apparently "it only took him and six or seven helpers three weeks and two packets of 11 x 17 office paper"(NY Mag). Here is a link to a few images of Kamo's previous work.

Yuken Teruya Studio: Notice-Forest and Corner Forest

I love this work by Yuken Teruya. It's beautiful, subtle and delicate; some of the qualities that make it so successfully subversive and political. Some of the best political work engages a viewer, instead of overtly pronouncing or preaching a message, by presenting an idea that is more complex than the critical stance the artist or the work may take.

Here is a quote from Yuken's site about his own practice:

"Pizza Boxes, a McDonald's bag, Flags, Desserts and Toilet Paper rolls... when these items become artworks, they also easily become political, maybe because they are taken from daily life. But if you find unexpected shapes and colors from the toilet rolls, they become something else. It's not about politics anymore, and you can take out the idea of toilet paper roll to your house.

Without criticizing the present, I prefer to find new clues to problems that are likely to polarize.

I feel that my work shouldn't only have the function of conveying the artist's message. My works have a right to simply be beautiful or offer any kind of attraction."

Life with Bird: First Summer Collection

This is a selection of looks from Life with Bird's First Summer collection. My first thought was how surprisingly dark the overall color palette seemed. Regardless, it's a lovely collection and I'd wear all of the looks I've shown here. The diagonal banding on the leggings is reminiscent of Stella McCartney's beautifully designed athletic gear for Adidas from a few seasons back.

Sandra Backlund

"I am really fascinated by all the ways you can highlight, distort and transform the natural silhouette of the body with clothes and accessories. I build my garments by hand from a couple of basic bricks which I multiply and attach to each other in different ways to discover the shape that I want. In that sense I approach fashion more like a sculptor then a tailor."

Delicious creations by Sandra Backlund. Another example of art, design and fashion coming together to create complexity and beauty. Thank you to Megan for reminding me of Backlund's fascinating work. You are seeing images from several collections; starting from the top: Pool Position, Diamond Cut Diamond, Body Skin and Hair.

Tomas Kral

"The idea is to use traditional decorative techniques for crystal glass like cutting, engraving, gilding to “upgrade” existing industrial glass packaging like milk bottles or jars for tomato sauce. "

See more of Kral's lovely work here.

Hvass & Hannibal

"This is an illustration we made for a new series of short stories brought in Danish Railway’s magazine Ud&Se. The story we were asked to illustrate is about routines and rituals, and how to break out of the monotony of everyday life and was written by Danish writer and artist Kasper Bonnen. "

I love these illustrations so much! Check out more work here.

Curiosity Inc.

Architecture and product design are only two of the areas that Curiosity Inc. plays within. See more of their beautiful work on their site.

Universal Everything: forever

The Making of Forever / Victoria & Albert Museum from Universal Everything on Vimeo.

Majo Fruithof: Collection 2009

Serious jewelry by Majo Fruithof. I love how complete the aesthetic is from the insanely stunning jewelry to the perfection of the photography and styling. Everything is thought through and beautifully executed. A couple of strengths (among many) of this collection: the sculptural quality that allows each piece to live as separately without relying on the body, there is a wonderful fusion of nostalgic references to the past with the contemporary aesthetics of absolute precision and perfection. Among the many materials used, Fruithof has crafted this collection with some interesting ingredients: black iron, gold beryl, red gold and morganite.

It's hard to choose a favorite from pieces I've chosen to post from her 2009 collection, but I think for now I'll go with the black teardrop earrings... and the art deco morganite earrings... and the cuffs... Well, at least I tried!