Paolo Roversi and the Large Format Camera

A little bit of inspiration for any photographers our there. This is a scan from the October 1998 issue of Vogue Italia with Audrey Marnay shot by Paolo Roversi. I admire him for primarily shooting with a large format camera. It's something I definitely would like to try sometime. Last night I was looking through a book of old Hungarian photographs from the Romantic to the Avante-garde period and I love the soft focus and lighting you get with these old cameras. Does anyone else get annoyed by digital cameras butchering photos when there is too much contrast between light and dark spots? It looks jagged. No?



Via Photo_decadent

Do we have your attention?

Last weekend I had the crazy (or not so crazy, depending on where you're from) idea of making my friends put on outlandish makeup for a fun night out dancing. I say crazy because we live in Vancouver and, aside from goth nights (Sanctuary at Club 23 if you're interested), you don't see anyone embracing theatrics for the everyday. We started small, but still had a lot of fun. My friend Ratha suggests we rent Bowie's Labrynth the next time we do this. I can't wait!

I lost count of how many times someone asked "what's up with the makeup?"

All of these photos were taken by my boy Kevin on his beloved Leica M2. I think he looked the best, personally.

Tagged! Random Picture Post

I've been tagged by The Vancouverista!
The rules:
1. go to the 4th folder on your computer where you store your images
2. pick the 4th picture in the folder
3. explain the picture
4. tag 4 people to do the same



You may or may not know that, outside of fashion, I'm into some pretty kooky things like sacred geometry. This image was found on a random google trip so I don't remember the source. I would love to see a collection that ties in this kind of geometry. It's so elegant. In a mathematical way.

I tag the readers of my blog because I'm curious to see what you all dig up. Tell me if you're giving it a go!

Pinning and Tucking

Today I wore a modified version of the second outfit in this picture set. The one pictured below is what I would ideally wear if it wasn't freezing cold and if I didn't have to run in between classes (which calls for more practical shoes). In truth, I wore that outfit today with a grey sweater, purple velvet blazer, and then another more loose black blazer on top of that.

I pinned that purple skirt into a sort of draped/bubble skirt myself. Some days I feel like a walking pin cushion. But I like making a different outfit from a skirt that is otherwise quite long and not very flattering.

I also pinned up the blue skirt in the first couple of photos and matched it with a splatter-printed shirt which I completely forgot about and then dug up from my closet. It would fit right into Cathy Pill's most recent collection, no?

Azzedine Alaia S/S 09

Who doesn't love Alaia? He's like no other fashion designer. He apparently has no website, no catwalk shows, and doesn't advertise. This is simply a case of the clothes speaking for themselves. You have to admire such a cost-efficient yet effective business plan. Cut out the frill and focus on the quality I say. If the recession doesn't end any time soon, do you think we'll experience a return to investment dressing?

I took the liberty of pairing a couple of looks from the spring 2009 collection with one of my favourite Escher pieces. Just because. Enjoy!



photos via fashionologie and google

Cathy Pill

The prints at the fw 09/10 Cathy Pill show reminded me of Peter Pilotto's work. I love how a print can be so eye-catching but the rest of the outfit remains almost minimalist due to a lack of frill and some rather sharp draping.

By the by, I find it funny how I get the most comments on posts with pictures of my own outfits. I hope you guys don't mind that they're not the most common! I like discussing collections too.

I took a few shots last night but my camera ran out of batteries so they'll be up today.

Maison Martin Margiela

MMM is a diy-er's dream. I'm not that crafty myself (still waiting on my grandma to lend me a helping hand), but I can see some of these looks making the rounds of the blogosphere. First there were the shredded pants, and now you have hundreds of pieces of frayed denim sliding down the body like a gradated waterfall.

Many of the pieces also look like they could have been the result of a raid at the local fabric store.

I really want to try something with fringe.

Encens

Scans from this beautiful magazine have shown up on tfs and they have taken my breath away. They look so poetic. Does anyone know if Encens is available in Canada? It's definitely something I'm willing to drop a few dollars on.

Is that white hat by Sonia Rykiel? It looks exactly like the one from the fw campaign.






scanned by MulletProof from tfs

Haute Florals

When browsing through the photos that are just now spilling in from the Chanel, Christian Lacroix and Givenchy haute couture shows, I couldn't help but notice the floral influences. I'm relieved. My floral obsession can survive another season. Karl approves.



The vampy black dress on Lily Donaldson is just breathtaking. If I were a celebrity, this would be my first pick for Oscar season. I could see Eva Green looking fabulous in this. I also love the elaborate choker on the right paired with the soft blouse and skirt.



The other dresses in the collection reminded me of blooming lilies. There were even flowers all over the Givenchy runway!



Chanel debued some gorgeous floral headpieces made from paper. YES PAPER! They were made by Katsuya Kamo, a tokyo hairdresser who also does Junya Watanabe's shows.

The last time I tried to make an origami rose I was 14 and it didn't look nearly as nice as these babies. Now I have the strong desire to put paper flowers in my hair. I was barely even looking at the clothes.



Lastly, a punch of color as usual from Lacroix. I always love his choice of the most vibrant shades. The floral outfit in the center with the cropped jacket is a winner.



Photos via tfs.com

Dive into Grandpa's Closet

Missoni's pre-fall collection stood out from the rest for me. It has pretty much managed to summarize the exact style I'm coveting at the moment: knits after patterned knits after patterned knits, with added matching tights, coats and shirts. As much as I also love minimalism or more complicated architectural styles, my wardrobe is created with a very tight budget many of my purchases are second hand. This collection is appealing to me because it seems much more attainable than others. Interesting patterns are quite easy to come by in thrift stores! That said, the pieces are still very sharply cut, and thus manage to give off a very modern feel despite their quirky thriftiness.




The mish-mash of knits continued with Missoni's mens collection. I really love the triangle sweater, which reminds me of some piece of art but I can't put my finger on it. I'm hoping that the fall collection will also run in a similar theme. I'm looking forward to more interesting eye-dazzling combinations!



from style.com

Hey There Stranger!

Yet another long absence. Just when you all probably completely lost faith in my updating the blog, I update. What kept me away for so long, again? Well, after a rough final season I thought I didn't have enough time to continue research and outfit photos. I thought I should just completely focus on school. I thought I didn't have enough to contribute to the blogging world anyways. Then life got a little less colorful, and I missed being inspired. So here I am again, I don't think I ever really wanted to leave for good. My lack of a goodbye post kind of proves it.

But moving on, today I bundled up in anticipation for more snow and cold weather to come. I think my inspiration was a hint of the Mociun patterns and cozy layered outfits still floating around in my brain. It was fun to photograph.









Wearing: Zara jacket, Joe Fresh Style gloves, Hunter rain boots, Roots tights, everything else thrifted.