Rude Boy

So, apparently, I'm one of the few that actually really likes Rihanna's new album.  I dare say it's her best yet.  The only thing is that I'm not into albums that are sugar coated pop from beginning to end, so I love that this album has a lot of grit to it.  One of the fun songs on this album is "Rude Boy".  Rihanna just released a video for this song, and I totally love it!  Granted, it's a bit of a knock off of "Boyz" by M.I.A., but it's fun and it's fashion.  Also, I am completely in love with the Grace Jones/Keith Haring inspired section at the bridge, it's wonderful!!!

Zebra

My absolute favorite new song - Zebra by Beach House.  Enjoy!

Tim Burton at MoMA

For all of my friends in NYC, you absolutely need to go see the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA!  It's really incredible and a true inspiration.  His sketches are out of this world and are a true expression of what he presents to us through his films.  There are also amazing objects from his films that are really worth seeing.  I spent a good 4 hours in this small room, inspecting every single object!  You will not be dissapointed!

Viktor and Rolf

In this landscape of completely commercial designers, it's nice to know that there are still designers out there that are a bit more cerebral.  Yes, they've had their misses and they have tried to create very commercial collections(how else would they survive and keep their brand alive, after all?), but deep down inside, I know that Viktor and Rolf are really designing from an artistic place.  This duo has been creating clothes since 1993 and have never looked back.  Not every collection is viewed as commercial, but I thank God that these guys have been able to continue to produce collections despite this fact.  They are true artisans.  I was fortunate to get to see their retrospective at the Barbican Gallery in London, England a year and a half ago.  It was an eye opening experience.  The fall 2006 collection in particular really resonated with me.  It walked the line between commercial appeal and artistic endeavor more perfectly than any collection before this had for the design duo.  The collection was speaking to the fact that women are expected to look a certain way and carry themselves in a certain way when we meet them, but this is not necessarily who they really are.  They are living their lives with a task at hand and never letting us see who they really are.  Regardless of this fact, we consider women to be a precious object.  In the final look, the model is holding a bouquet of flowers dipped in 24k gold.  Amazing.

Anne Valerie Hash Spring 2010 Haute Couture

I know it's been a week since Haute Couture week wrapped up, but I felt compelled to post something about the Anne Valerie Hash collection once I heard the story behind it.  The collection is named 'Confidences'.  The story behind the collection is that Anne Valerie Hash asked some people that are well known in the industry to entrust her with pieces from their personal collections that they felt represented their personalities.  She then took those garments and reinvented them into something completely new. Obviously, the idea of taking something old and turning it into something new is not a new idea - Margiela has been doing it for twenty years through is Artisenal collection - but the fact that these are personal pieces from the wardrobe's of some of fashion's most well known people takes it to a whole new level.  I thought it was very clever!

Givenchy Spring 2010 Haute Couture

Riccardo Tisci has been able to create a buzz around the Givenchy label, which is amazing, considering that the house was a dying a slow death before he took the reigns in 2005.  His shows are some of the most anticipated of both the ready to wear and haute couture seasons, and with good reason in my opinion.  He is the leader of the pack when it comes to the gothic romanticism that has swept fashion over the past 4 seasons.  When looking at his haute couture collections, there has been a vast improvement on the quality of these collections.  Initially, they didn't seem that different than the ready to wear collections, which made them feel more like a mid season update than haute couture.  Now, these collections are a source of inspiration and lead one to understand why haute couture exists and why it is important.  They embody the artisenal quality of haute couture, while pushing fashion forward.  The spring 2010 collection was no exception.  It was a very beautiful collection!

Some Things Should Be Left On The Runway

Ciara has had a long standing relationship with Riccardo Tisci.  She has had him design her stage wardrobe for about two years now.  Because of this relationship, she has been lucky enough to get her hands on the latest Givenchy garb before anyone else has.  Lucky for her - unlucky for the rest of us.  During the Grammy Pre Party and actual Grammy ceremony, Ciara was wearing looks from the Givenchy Spring 2010 Haute Couture collection.  I really want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but the reality is, she's just not the person to be wearing these looks.  Her style is Hip-Hop Sexpot and these looks are something a fashion editor would be wearing to a New York Gala.  Just my opinion!