Summer moodboard

First of all, I got a new Chanel watch!

Unfortunately, it was made out of glossy paper.

But all was well because I got a pair of Carrera sunglasses!

My new pair of oversized shades didn’t last too long either…

What’s all this nonsense? I made my first moodboard! Like a collage, but more emotive of the artist’s current state of mind/ style. I made it for Jane Aldridge of Sea of Shoes’ Style Yourself Moodboard Contest.

Here it was in the process of completion:

And here it is complete! I used photos from H&M Magazine, Canadian Art magazine and lookbooks from Holt Renfrew/Mango/Shops at Bayview Village/ Anthropologie.

I’ve been feeling the breezy, flowy side of things lately, hence the brown maxi dress on the bottom right corner, the translucent yellow top on the upper right corner and the dusty pink skirt from Mango. I’m loving the colours grey, rose and tan! Prints wise-romantic florals. Pops of green and orange are cute too and so are thick, structured circle scarves (anything that drapes and I can wrap around, really!) I used clips of all the seasons, because the weather lately has been pretty unpredictable. I slept outside in a tent in 17°C weather so wool is practical during the middle of August!

Wish me luck! The contest winners are announced on Thursday!

When the time comes

“A person should be buried only half a meter, or two feet, below the surface. Then a tree should be planted there. He should be buried in a coffin that decays so that when you plant a tree on top the tree will take something out of his substance and change it into tree-substance. When you visit the grave you don’t visit a dead man, you visit a living being who was just transformed into a tree. You say, “This is my grandfather, the tree is growing well, fantastic.” You can develop a beautiful forest that will be more beautiful than a normal forest because the trees will have their roots in graves. It will be a park, a place for pleasure, a place to live, even a place to hunt.”

-Friedensreich Hundertwasser http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/94/holy-shit.html

I think I have just found a meaning to life.

I highly recommend you take a look at Adbusters. I really agree with the sentiment of the magazine: “Adbusters is a not-for-profit, reader-supported, 120,000-circulation magazine concerned about the erosion of our physical and cultural environments by commercial forces…

We are a global network of culture jammers and creatives working to change the way information flows, the way corporations wield power, and the way meaning is produced in our society…

Our aim is to topple existing power structures and form a major shift in the way we live in the 21st century.“

Eye for Detail is an echo of these thoughts. Fashion is seldom not seen in a light that portrays it as a useless industry, something only the wealthy can afford and have a care about. But I don’t see it like this. To me, fashion is just another form of art. I don’t think fashion is about the materialism, the constant “I want this, I want that.” Haven’t you noticed how after a long day at the mall, everything starts to look the same? Honestly, it saddens me when I go shopping. When I step into a commercial mall, all I see are the racks beyond racks of clothing produced. Is there enough of us to want to buy all of that? Do we need this? And for what? So everyone can have a copy of the same style? So we can perform as an amorphous blob, a society without individuality? We can adorn ourselves with as much as we want, but it will eventually become poison to our own bodies and to the Earth. At the end of the day, who really cares if someone has the new “it” product? Who’s dreams are filled with comparisons of dresses and shoes? I embrace the fashion that evolves, the fashion that is not a product to be sold, but a feeling to be carried. I don’t support the mass consumption of whats hots or cool. I don’t see the point of buying clothes and throwing them away, and buying a very, very similar piece ten years later. After all, trends recycle. But creativity, innovation and individuality is what keeps it alive.

It just makes one wonder, when is it all going to run out?

Very Silly Bandz

So popular as to schools banning them, Silly Bandz emerged in 2008, gained popularity in the U.S. and have landed in Canada. (The “animal rubber band” concept was invented earlier.) They come in all colours of the rainbow and in all shapes and sizes as well. Worn on your wrist as an elastic, but once taken off- they revert to their original shape, either it be a lion, a house or a Christian cross. OR JUSTIN BEIBER.

His reign over tween pop culture spreads like tentacles…(just another thing to obsess about if you’re 12).

This is what Silly Bandz are sold like:

(Okay, so a jumble of plastic colourful instant noodles…)

This is what they look like once you’ve worn about a dozen on your wrists.

Whoa. Stop right there. Now that’s UGLY. 

And it get’s uglier…

And uglier.

That’s what happened to a little boy after extended wearing of his Silly Bandz (the second photo). He told his dad his arm was hurting, so they took the bands off and that was what was lying underneath.

In Social Sciences class, we are learning about mass consumerism.

 

Figure 1: Brainwash in relentless promotion of fads towards a vulnerable audience.

 

I mean, you’ve got to be kidding me. A whole wall of Silly Bandz?

Other than the obvious medical concerns, there are other reasons why I dislike Silly Bandz. Remember friendship bracelets? Comparing the two, Silly Bandz have no sentimental My-Best-Friend-Made-This-For-Me value, they break easier and when they do break, your wish won’t come true! (You’re supposed to make a wish when tying on your friendship bracelet.) The biodegradability of Silly Bandz are in question, as with all other silicone-based materials. (Hemp and cotton are much more eco-friendly!)

Don’t get me even started on Silly Necklacez and Silly Ringz.

Dig or Dump #2

I see them everywhere.

Low, loose tanks fluttering to reveal black bras. Hollywood A-listers seem to be adapting to the trend- from Miley Cyrus to J-Lo, Ashley Greene, Jessica Alba and Taylor Momsen. Heck, they are even appearing in  music videos- the video still above is from Shontelle’s “Impossible.” The trend’s popping up in our city streets and subways…

…Which leads me to this question:

And if you really like the fad, you can take it a step farther!

With the Contrast Cup Strappy Babydoll from ASOS, you don’t need to worry about layering a tank over a bra, it’s already done for you! The optical illusion is enough to make your mother cringe.

Trends I have no problem saying goodbye to

CROCS

Year: 2007 

 

Crocs. Nothing beats them. Remember a few years back when everbody had them? I was, unfortunately, a Crocs follower; owning a pair of purple Cayman’s that made my very small feet seem tiny out of proportions. Crocs make my feet sweat, my ankles rub against the inner rivets (so much that they were bleeding), and did I mention they look hideous (well, I guess in a cute way back then.)? The rivets broke eventually, resulting in straps that fell off. One of the worst $60 investments, they were selling for half the price after the height of the trend! And what’s worst than Crocs? Croc knock-off’s thanks to Ardene’s and dollar stores. I hate Ardenes. Every time I walk in there, I am overwhelmed by the odour of plastic. CHEAP PLASTIC. And the accessories they sell brake easily and the look of the products? EEW. Please opt for teenybopper Claire’s instead. 

SCALLOPED CLOTHING

Year: 2008 

From top left corner clockwise: Wendy, Cynthia Vincent, Chloe, Christopher Kane

 

I. Hate. Scalloped. Edges. They look like what would happen if one of my funky design scissors grew bigger and SNIP SNIP had a few accidents. Scalloped clothing are acceptable on a smaller scale, but they annoy me when larger. Looks like somebody ran out of fabric and had to use grandma’s tablecloth! Remember when the Gap had  this scallop-edged blouse? ~shivers~ 

 

SHINY BLACK LEGGINGS

Year: 2009-2010 

 

We can blame American Apparel for this one. I can barely tolerate metallic leggings, but these just gross me out. Who would want to look like their lower half has been (generously) dipped in the Gulf of Mexico? And they leave almost nothing to the imagination. Children, avert your eyes. But…they should be fine as long as you wear something up to your lower thighs over it. If you have a larger derrière, forget it. Explain to me how you wash these after not ventilating in them. P.S. if you get silver leggings, your legs would camaflouge with the subway! Yay! 

Shorts with pockets hanging out

 Year: 2010

Shorts by Free People (I think they're both the same)

Get on your knees and beg the Fashion Gods for forgivness. So if Fashion is a Religion and Vogue is the Bible’s equivalent, there must be Gods there as well! And Goddesses for that matter too. Come to think of it, there are way more Goddesses… Anyways, getting off point. What I’m trying to say is BURN THESE @#$%^&*! pockets dangling outside of their territory means your grandmother is not pleased. Not pleased at all. With the length of your booty shorts. Did I just say that?!

And you thought you could never get suspended from school for wearing something…

And finally…

*THE BONUS*

Louis Vuitton monogrammed bags/luggage

Since 1854…and still popular.

If someone was to force me to choose something that is wayy too overrated in fashion, it has to be L.V. Can I say something? YOU ARE NOT “RICH” OR “POPULAR” IF YOU CAN AFFORD L.V.’S MONOGRAMMED COLLECTIONS. SHOWING OFF A L.V. ON YOUR ARM DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE “RICH” OR “POPULAR.” IT SIMPLY MEANS YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH YOUR INDIVIDUALITY. 

Unless you actually like Louis Vuitton’s labeled handbags…

Personally, I am not a can of soup. I don’t need branding all over me.