A QUESTION OF PLEATS

(Blazer - Zara / Tshirt - Helmut Lang / Trousers - Jodi Arnold / Shoes - DIY / Belt & Necklace - Zana Bayne)

Trousers and I seldom get along well. Its like kind of like astrology...I'm a Virgo, and tend to bump heads with Taurus's UNLESS there's some sort of cosmic alignment. Er, well you I'm sure you get what I'm saying. Back to the point - I love a high waisted pleated pant but normally they make me look like a sack or a clown, NOT the Yohji-like elegance that I would want them to emit. But as I mentioned before, there are exceptions to every horoscope and I have truly found my cosmic pants.

LOOKING BACK TO GO FORWARD

(Photo from DazedDigital)

(EDIT - Just realized that this is my 800th post. Major!!)

Last night as I was getting ready to go out, I was thinking about the softened siouxsie eye makeup for Kris Van Assche's SS10 collection. That got me reminiscing about his fake tatted "chola" girls from SS09, with their silk boxer shorts and elegantly relaxed tank tops. At the time of the collection, I was intrigued but not completely sure if it was suited for me - its amazing how clothing can come back and become more relevant than ever before.

I started flipping through a few collections that had been marked in my memory, but not recently revisited. I've had a desire for strong (NOT spectacle) garments for midseason springtime, and now have compiled a lookbook of sorts for bold garments that read as powerful without losing their femininity.

Beside pieces form Assche & Maria Cornejo, I have included three of my favorite collections that were absolutely striking from beginning to end. I fell in love with the entire FW09 show by Armand Basi One, and was devastated that the collection seemingly closed afterward. There were tightly wrapped and bundled long sleeved minidresses paired with creeper boots (pre-wang insanity), motorcycle jackets with oversized shoulders and sleeves, loads of awkwardly shaped pants, and an attitude of nonchalance which aided in the wearability of the trickier pieces.

Next is the short-lived "Angry Chloe Girl" of FW07 by Paulo Melim Andersson - his seasons with the house were the ones that I connected to the most, and I felt as though he was really building up an immaculate point of view. Reviews would always call the collections "arty", "bratty", a little bit more "punk" but I never saw any of that. I found his work to be hyper-feminine with an immaculate selection of fabrics and without any cliche'd silhouettes.

Rounding out the line up would have to be Junya Watanabe's 46-ways-to-drape-a-dress collection from FW08. The dresses specifically hypnotized me; single fabric numbers that highlighted the gravity of draping. Simultaneously simple, yet infinitely complex.

1-3: Kris Van Assche SS10 / 4: Kris Van Assche SS09

1-2: Kris Van Assche SS09 / 3: Zero + Maria Cornejo SS10 / 4: Zero + Maria Cornejo FW10

1: Zero + Maria Cornejo FW10 / 2-4: Armand Basi One FW09

1: Armand Basi One FW09 / 2-4: Chloe FW07 (I mourn the loss of the "angry Chloe girl)

1-4: Junya Watanabe FW08

Gotta love a show where a few mens looks are scattered in...especially when they're as hot as these two above. Both are for Fall 2010, and if this is what the near future looks like I can not wait. The look on the left is Zero + Maria Cornejo - on their own, there are several pieces that could be considered feminine - a printed scarf, pleated tapered pants - but combined together they truly take on a sexy masculine look. The look to the right is not so subtle, very brooding, tightly wound & severe - plucked out of a strong, stormy, androgynous collection by Nicolas Andreas Taralis

& then I got to this. Both looks are from the SS10 season, on the left is Zero + Maria Cornejo and to the right is Kris Van Assche. I can't figure out which is more disturbing: A) that the styling of the two looks is completely identical or B) the fact that out of all of the collections I looked at I ended up picking two looks that are literally the same without consciously realizing it. I guess that's a real, solid "point of view", no?

3 CANDLES FROM PARIS

Scent Stories

One thing that I enjoy the most about traveling is the ability to not only transport your physical self, but to transport your mental as well - I'm not talking any hippie junk here, I'm talking about the immediate influence of ones surroundings onto their state of mind. In the case of Paris, I allow myself to transform into a creature of self-indulgence; I will spend hours walking aimlessly just to absorb the city, I will eat whatever fatty bready sugary boozy substance that I please, and the most impractical purchase can be justified by the fact that they were bought in Paris, darling!

Now I knew exactly what I wanted to take back as a material trophy from this trip. I wanted to find a candle - not just any candle, but an incredibly aromatic, seductive & strong candle by the french perfumer Etat Libre D'Orange. I was introduced to the line by working at Harputs, and have since been a devout follower of their scents. When it comes to fragrance, I prefer complex blends, dark, heavy, a slight hint of pepper or spice, with subtle sweetness sans sugar (give me notes of tobacco, jasmine or bergamot & I'm yours).

So during my only free time, I marched over to the Etat Libre D'Orange boutique on Rue des Archives, and snatched up my favorite candle, titled "Soldate Inconnu" (unknown soldier). Its been a year since I've owned any candle due to constant travel, so its scent brought me an instant sense of comfort. I didn't plan on buying anything else afterward - I was completely satisfied with my singular purchase. But as fate would have it, I happened to pass by the Assouline store with a few moments to spare en route to the A.F. Vandevorst show. Just like Etat Libre D'Orange, I was also introduced to the Assouline candles through Harputs - I had once had their leather scented candle, and couldn't pass up the chance to be seduced by its perfume once more. And as I was in Paris, I decided to be flippant and adventurous and get a second by Assouline, one by the title of wood.

Etat Libre D'Orane - Soldat Inconnu (Unknown Soldier)

"Noble causes make noble men. Anonymous heroes who have claimed glory by fighting fear hand to hand. They have no name, just the glory of combat. And the smell of war that sticks to their skin, a smell of gunpowder and gun grease, life and death flirting together. Skin that craves to be bitten. Like the irresistible appeal of danger, Unknown Soldier evokes nights out on permit, love in ambush. The wait for a counterattack. In our own personal way, we all deliver battles. We are all in quest of the absolute, we all yearn for freedom. Some victories are worth the price. Unknown Soldier is a tribute to men who do not fear to live."

Scent notes: Gunpowder, oxidized metal, coffee, earth notes, sandalwood, amber, jasmine

Assouline - Leather

"This candle distills the soft smell of leather, as it transports you to the world of old books and comfortable leather couches with its delicious blend of essences. It evokes the scent of an old manuscript, and brings a deep, rich smell into your home. "

Assouline - Wood

"This fine candle distills the warm scent of a wood-paneled library or a fresh wooden crate with its refined mix of red cedar and copaiba fresh from the Amazonian forest. Light one and experience the aroma of a true library."