The Ballerina Project, FTW.

The Ballerina Project is the best thing to ever happen. This collaboration of city + dance + photography, is an artistic endevour which grew from the idea of New York City as a magnet for creativity. Each photograph is a collaborative work of dance, fashion design and photography played out against the city's landscape. Some of the shots were taken in Boston, but most were in New York City.

Dane Shatagi, The founder of the project, posted a note on the fan page about their decision to end the project. It sounds like it was just hard to get the shots he wanted and capture the same emotions while having to change dancers a lot and work around busy schedules. Either way, I'm glad it happened while it did, and we are left with the beautiful photos.

More Fall 2010 Collections

A few more of my fashion show favorites!! Thanks Haute Macabre.


Yigal Azrouel





Skingraft





Helmut Lang



Byblos

ballerinas

Lois Greenfield



Daryl Banks



Alfred Eisenstaedt for Life Magazine





One of my favorite videos on making tutu's.

I miss ballet. Before I left for New York, I was taking 4 classes a week. I miss the stillness of it, the silence in the movement. Being forced to concentrate so hard on one single thing. It was my therapy. My last winter in New York I went and saw the Nutcracker, performed by the New York City Ballet. I cried halfway through it because it was so beautiful. Many would argue the beauty of the Nutcracker, above all the other millions of beautiful ballets out there, but for me, it is the most beautiful. It was the first ballet I ever saw, with my mom, a long, long time ago. In my current collection, there is a shadow of a ballerina influence, as expected. :) I used to walk down 8th Avenue alot to get to the Garment District, and somewhere near 8th & 39th there is a professional Ballet studio (I haven't been able to figure out which company it is, but that location WAS recently used in a national fashion photo shoot), and often you could catch them dancing in the enormous glass windows that overlooked the city. Man, I miss New York.

fashion week bleeps. models, weight of the world.

I don't have time to do a full rundown of what I think of NY Fashion Week so far, other than to say, I wish I was there.
Here are some brief little snerps (just made that word up) of what's on my mind at this very moment.

I looked at the Marc Jacobs FW2010 collection online before watching the video of the runway show, which was a mistake. At first glance I thought, wow, boring. He's done all of this before. But after watching the show, I was taken back to an old time. Like, the time I first saw a Marc Jacobs runway show, or first learned who he even was. This collection is true classic Marc. Most of it has been done before, but it's been updated and tweaked. It's like classic Marc, love story Marc.
And it made me kind of love him again.



Oscar de la Renta. To me, this man can do no wrong. He was one of the first designers I grew to totally love. My style may change over the years, but I never, ever stop appreciating how everything he does looks so elegant and timeless but modern and hip at the same time. I want to wear his coats and dresses in Paris, with little gloves and a hat.



as for the rest, so far.... I loved the story that Rodarte was trying to tell...ghostly mexican border towns, being stuck in a dream... they have such interesting themes and inspiration, but I just didnt love the collection in its own. The clothes just seemed kind of sad and thrown together. It reminded me of being a little girl and playing with random stuff in the basement like bed sheets and pillows and wigs and stuffed animals, and chopping it all up and making robes. weird.

Alexander Wang's collection was interestingly done for sure. Sort of wall street business woman mixed with bank robber or something? It was beautiful crafted, but I dont think I'd be dying to wear most of it. A little let down mr. wang. But really respectable tailoring, for sure. I still love you anyway because you're so cool.

LAMB, Vena Cava, ACME, and Temperly London were a few of my absolute favorites so far.

Its hard to really pay attention when I have so much work to do still for my own show. I hope I can pull it off. I emailed my models recently to update them on a few things for the show and was saddened by how many had responded with "So excited, hitting the gym twice a day until then!" or "Starving myself just for your show!" I want to say something, but dont want to offend anyone. Half of my models are friends of mine. I can understand feeing pressure to suddenly "look like a model" when you aren't really a model on a regular basis. But ladies, I choose you based on who you are and have always been. I want to make these beautiful friends of mine actually feel as beautiful as they are, and apparently can't see sometimes. Im making clothing you cant buy at H&M, I want to see it on real people. So far the lives of these garments have only experienced hangers and dress forms. They want to breath, to move, to sweat, to smile. My dream person to design for would be Dita Von Teese, not Rachel Zoe. (gross.) it's a woman who is confident, sexy, daring, and doesn't take any shit.

So models, if you're reading this, go eat a sandwich, drink a martini wearing dark red lipstick, and start loving yourselves for god sakes, otherwise, you're never going to be able to pull off my clothes.

Chris Anthony, Victims and Avengers.

Chris Anthony - Click on "Victims and Avengers". - AMAZING.

I am in awe. So beautiful.

Happy love day.

It's Valentines Day. Some people think Valentines Day is cheesy and overcommercialized, and all I have to say to that is, sure it is - if you make yours that way! I know mine was spent dressing all saucy, sipping numerous glasses of champagne, and having a great time with my dude at this. Where a red benefit/bidding auction on some outstanding items was held in conjunction with a pretty fantastic theatre performance. I got a dress and a coat that puts other clothes in my closet to shame. Vintage 60's and fits me like a glove. I might just have to throw out the rest of my clothes so this classy ensemble can breathe better.

In addition, this past Friday, Martin and I were extremely lucky to have been part of a portfolio building scheme thanks to the loverly Melanie Maxwell, and got some fantastic engagement photos done spur of the moment. We haven't gotten them back yet, but she posted a preview on her blog and it's looking fantastic! My tights might give away that I had a little valentines day on the brain last week. If it were more for us and less for Melanie, I may have liked more fake blood and less smiling at the camera, but I guess I have to suck it up sometimes. I think they look pretty sweet.

A history of McQueen.

The Telegraph has posted a really great article on the History of McQueen's Catwalk Collections. It gives a fantastic look back at all his prior collections. I remember watching that Spring/Summer 1999 Collection on TV at school, with the robot spray painting the model on the platform, and just getting chills, thinking woah. He does stuff that no one else even comes close to, even thinks about. So many people are talking about Lady Gaga and his recent stuff and everything they know now, but it's really important if you call yourself a fan, to look back at his history and the things he did during all his years as a designer, to really understand just how revolutionary the man was.

Rest in Peace, Lee McQueen.

Lee McQueen, founder and designer of the Alexander McQueen brand and fashion house, passed away in his home at age 40. It has been noted it was a suicide. This momentous loss effects me so deeply. McQueen was my most respected designer. Unlike pretty much everyone in the fashion world, to me, McQueen never had a bad collection. He never sent anything out with his name that was less than impressive. He taught us all something we'd never seen, never known, with everything he touched. He was a pioneer of the Avant Garde. Every time we had to use another designer as inspiration while I was in fashion school, I used McQueen, without hesitation. To me, everyone else was kind of boring. I am deeply saddened to think I will never again see something new from him, but feel very fortunate that I was able to take so much from his art when I was a student, and will continue to do so looking back on all he has done over the years. Rest in Peace Lee, I hope you're in a better place, for you anyway. And thank you for all you have done. Your art and your vision has taught many of us to never be afraid to push the boundaries, and just do what people tell us not to, all the time.

Fall Fashion is near..i smell you.

It's time for the Fall 2010 fashion shows to start, and it's absolutely surreal that I'm going to be showing my first collection soon. Year after year, it's the Fall collections that inspire and motivate me. Finally, I have something to show for it. My goal is to go beyond everyone's expectations. Yeah, fashion in detroit didn't happen this season, but that's fine. Just because I'm throwing this show myself, doesn't mean it's going to be any less important for me. And I have to say, I'm just really really excited to show off the designs. It's some of the best work I've ever done, if I do say so myself. I have so many people supporting me as well, and there is no way I could have done it without the support and encouragement that I have received so far. I asked 4 of my good friends to join in as models, because they are beautiful and confident and I want to see my friends in my clothes, because ideally, it is them I design for. I also have 6 gorgeous professionals as well, because it's very important to me to promote modeling in Detroit, and give new aspiring models a chance for runway experience. I have amazing people volunteering to further their portfolios by doing hair and make up, and so far 3 photographers (that list is growing daily) who want to come and shoot the event. My fiance' is building us a runway. It's going to be quite the production, and I really can't wait. The work I've done for this is more than anything I have ever undertaken in my life, and I'm a pretty motivated person. And its turning out exactly as I've had it in my head all these years. I am beyond excited to show the fashion world what I have to offer.

Now, onto some pictures. As previously mentioned I have been researching the styling of Katie Shillingford, the editor of Dazed & Confused, because everything she works on seems to turn to gold. That Viktor and Rolf shoot I was all over last month? Katie worked on it.



Another favorite shoot from D&C Oct '09





D&C July 2009





I am so inspired by things that are different, things I haven't seen before. I've been reading fashion magazines since I was a little girl, and to be honest, *most* things have been done before in some shape or form, or remind me of something I've seen. When I see someone doing something truly unique, it just really gets me.

And finally, I was exuberant to see that Garance dore' has created an english version of their blog. I can read french, a little, but some things just get pretty lost in translation at this point, since I have no one to practice it with really.

haute macabre strikes again.

As noted previously, I have a new obsession with haute macabre. I see something completely inspiring every week. This week's true love is the Alone in the Woods photo shoot with design by Knitwear extraordinaire Sandra Backlund, Photographed by Denise Grünstein.

Everything about it pulls at my heartstrings.



I need to do a photoshoot like this. I wish I wasn't having such difficulty finding people to collaborate with. Maybe it's because my tastes are so far out there? I CHANGE FOR NO ONE. ;) bring on the blood and horse heads.

vday is coming. here's things i love.

Haute macabre

Dior Homme Hi-Top Sneakers

Katie Shillingford, the editor of Dazed and Confused. (Don't ask. I don't know why, but I love her. Maybe it's the hair.)

The gray hair trend

Acne's Fall 2010 Collection

Prosecco