we'll never see dennis again

Today in school we played dodgeball. Or, rather, I played dodgeball, and everyone else played kickball. But then they were all "NOO COME ON YOU CAN'T BE THAT BAD" and I was like "HAHAH THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK" and then they made me kick it and I ran to the wrong base. Actually, I didn't even run to a base, I just ran to this random mat that I thought was a base, but was just IN THE WAY, and POINTLESS, kind of like the interpretive dancing at the Oscars. But you know what would've made this experiment far less painful? IF I HAD BEEN WEARING THIS: Along with paying a visit to the 60's (my favorite era, which is probably some kind of twist of FATE) (see what I did there? Bob Dylan song? 60's?) (Oh wait, that song is actually 70's. I...fail. Anyway.) Miu Miu was almost cartoonish with its giant bows, poppy colors, scallops, exaggerated pocket piping, and shoe skirts that added an extra clunky stomping factor to the overall effect.

And there were LOTS of embellishments with metallic bows and flowers, kind of as if the wearer was a little girl going through her grandma's jewelry box (from when grand mam mam had her 60's heydey) and sort of decorating herself with brooches.
It started out with the bright colors and cartoon-ish lace (which I will now refer to as the little sister of Prada's) but towards the end got to a place that was darker, a different kind of romantic, slightly stark..

The silhouettes, colors, and fabrics became more sophisticated, and the playful, wiry flower brooches were replaced by some in full bloom.

There were parts I didn't care for or that wouldn't have really improved today's game of kickball, (which is now the new standard for everything: would it improve my pitiful, athletically-challenged middle school experiences? WOULD IT?) such as the low cut-overall situations and skirts-over-pants (maybe because I was too reminded of my 3rd grade days when I decided I was really edgy and //alt for wearing a skirt over a pair of jeans. THE MEMORIES, MAKE THEM STOPPPPPP). They didn't feel out of place in the collection but my sentiments for them were those of Enid's here:

The spring collection will always be my favorite, and that kind of magic can't happen twice. But over all, it was cute and fun and Miu Miu. And it still would've made that really awful game of kickball much, much better.

big sister / little sister

Prada Fall 2008 / Miu Miu Fall 2010.

Hussein Chalayan was based around the idea of a mirage, though that fact was no MIRAGE as the sunglasses said, "MIRAGE". Dad jokes! In all seriousness, because this is serious business, as things always are around here, I first thought it was sort of arbitrary, but the more I looked through it and thought about it the more it made sense, and the fact that it was hard to understand at first only made me like it more. And made it more, of course, like a mirage. I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE, MR. CHALAYAN.
There were binoculars stuffed up with shearling and leather, hazy nebula-like prints, foggy sheer fabrics, and crocheted jackets that only half-covered the top part of the body. Without the concept, the clothes didn't seem to flow from one look to another too well, but I don't think a Hussein Chalayan collection can be viewed without knowing that there has to be a concept, anyway.
The "mirage" sunglasses reminded me of New Year's Eve sunglasses, in a good way.

oscars the grouch

I am not normally one for red carpet dressing (other than the CFDA gala) and last night we didn't even get Tilda or Cate, AND the co-hosting was awkward, AND Twilight is not a horror movie, and Zac Efron STILL HIGHLY RESEMBLES A NEOPET, but Carey Mulligan filled the Prada void that would have been otherwise occupied by Tilda with this dress that looks very pretty and normal at first...But then when you look at a closer picture, you see this, and if you happen to be looking at the closer picture while it's really late and night and you just ate/drank your weight in sugary products, your reaction is 3x the excitement, or, UDISGHDSLUGWHUIWGSDTiny kitchen utensils! For tiny murderers! Chick is basically wearing a Clue gameboard, AND IT IS FANTASTIC.

And Robert Downey Jr. looked awesome.
I would like to think that he and Michelle Obama play kickball together in their matching Lanvin sneakers. WELL DONE, SHERLOCK, WELL DONE.

That's about it. Again, don't really care for red carpet-type stuff BUT throw some tiny knives and bow ties into the mix and I am intrigued. Oh, and TOM FORD. Throw Tom Ford into the mix and I am also intrigued, and also maybe sitting two inches away from the screen, never mind that it is in the corner of the room hanging from a ceiling. I use my floating powers when necessary, okay? Lastly, I love you all more than rainbows.

one was johnny who lived by himself

Vivienne Westwood was like a Maurice Sendak character that runs away to start her own kingdom, AKA, what I would like to do, all the time, a lot. Paper crowns, crayon scribbles (some of which read "Prince Charming") and drapy dresses that could've come out of an older sister's dress-up box..plus, only Vivs could put her models in marker moustaches (time for me to revisit TOMAS, perhaps?) and it still make sense.
And, going back to the Maurice Sendak thing: Wild Rumpus crowns, anyone? That star on that grey sweatshirt is TOTALLY Really Rosie? LIFE COMPLETE.

stuff about fashion blogging, again

At the Independent Fashion Bloggers conference at NYFW, there was a panel including the Fashionista girls, Susie Bubble, Phil Oh, Bryanboy, and myself, and we talked about-WAIT FOR IT-the future of fashion blogging! Pretty RANDOM topic, if you ask me. There's a video but I'm too afraid to watch it because I probably said some stupid things. But! If I were to paraphrase, I would say we mostly talked about:
-Discretion when it comes to accepting gifts or freebies.
-Advice to new bloggers. (Which mostly came to: write about what is interesting to you. What works for one blogger doesn't always work for another, and writing about the exact same stuff that a popular blogger writes about will go unnoticed since someone else is already doing the same thing.)
-A blogger's place at Fashion Week.
-Hey, remember when we all decided we were the greatest people ever and that blogs were the new everything? Me neither! The media likes the story but it ain't no big thang.
-We can't predict the future of fashion blogging. The same way no one saw it coming, no one knows where it will go.

The big difference between bloggers and journalists isn't the fact that we're using computers. I mean, Cathy Horyn and Lynn Yaeger have blogs, lots of critics write for style.com, and a number of editors, including Hamish Bowles and Andre Leon Talley, write blog posts; but it's not the same as my having a blog - the difference is experience. It's not remarkable that we're using the internet!!! but what most people are pointing out - with me, mostly, since this doesn't apply to the other bloggers that were on the panel - is lack of experience. I haven't gone to journalism school, I haven't had any internships, etc. And I'm 13, which, oh my God, I can't tell you how excited I am to outgrow that number. This, honestly, is what I think is the future of fashion blogging, or at least part of it. The same way teenagers can start a Flickr account and be noticed by a magazine, or a band can start a MySpace and be picked up by a label, blogs will act as jumping-off platforms for people that want to work in the industry.

When I started Style Rookie in March of 2008, only ElleGirl and teenvogue.com would write about blogs. It wasn't a big media thing and having one wasn't an affiliation for Fashion Week, it was a nice circle of ladies and occasional dudes who supported each other and often found themselves saying "Thank you for this post! None of my friends get my feelings about ______." Then some of us started taking opportunities that had arisen, and I spent some money on a Hussein Chalayan dress, and then all of a sudden it was like, JUDAAAAAAAAAAS.

Which is, you know, bizarre. Allow me to direct you to this epic Dave Eggers essay.
So now my inbox and comment section are full of "Can you critique my blog? Can you tell me what to do to get invited to shows? How do I get my blog recognized in the industry?" which isn't a bad thing, I guess (other than the critiquing thing, which like..it's about you and your thoughts. No one is able to tell you what to think or how to explain your thinking to others.) Now blogging is a full-time job for some people and in some cases a segway into the industry but I guess that's the way it goes. And it's sort of a bummer, especially because now I'm far more aware of the number of people that read my blog, and when I take this into consideration when writing a post I feel pressured to sound smarter or fancier when mostly I just enjoy writing journal-like streams of thought (my blog has always been a virtual diary) even though I'm supposed to be writing grand reviews because a newspaper or magazine told whoever to expect that. That's a problem with my own outlook, though, and I still enjoy blogging. A lot. And, thankfully, it doesn't have to be a job for me. When it starts to feel like one, I'll stop.
But I don't think anyone is saying blogs are the equivalent to magazines, or inexperienced bloggers like myself are the equivalent to journalists, anyway. Still, there is nothing wrong with having a range of perspectives. I think fashion is important to discuss.

Which brings me to this recent Isabel Marant quotation:

“For me, fashion shows are not for the public, they are trade shows for the press. It’s time for the press to understand the collection and then spread the information. That’s more interesting than just the image. Everyone wants to be first. It’s too too much. There should be privacy and mystery. There is no excitement about anything anymore as everything is available immediately and all the time – you don’t have to wait for anything. I don’t like the idea of being flooded with image and information. I don’t belong to the generation of spending time on the internet. I think it’s too fast and too fake. It’s like going to a museum on the internet – where is the pleasure? It’s sad because everyone is running after everything, but after what? Everything is too quick. There is no room in your heads for all this information. No one retains anything.”

I think that when it comes to fashion shows being online, it's exposure for a brand. I think that a customer deserves to see the show and get to know the world of that label. I like privacy and mystery too, but there's a fine line between that and exclusivity.

And-TWIST!-I also hate the fastness of the Internet! And the fakeness! I like buying my magazines and zines and having special stuff I can hold in my hand! And this Internet, it makes the already fast fashion very very fast! And it's scary and a lot of it feels very unauthentic and sad. And fast.

But, in five years, the iPhone will be Oldy McOldster from Oldsville, Oldesota. And tumblr then will be like xanga now. Who knows where fashion blogging will be. Point is, things are changing.

back to the future

"Classics with a twist!" Retro futurism! In fashion, all those cliches have been done time and again, but I think that Nicolas Ghesquiere's collection for Balenciaga was the only one as of recent to elevate these concepts to a level that was more refined and thoughtful. "Retro futurism" didn't mean the Jetsons, and "classics" didn't mean camel coats or button-downs. They were elements of home-living and domesticity that were brought into the present with what has now become Nicolas LongName's signature futurism aesthetic. He said his goal was "to ennoble every day objects." Mission accomplished. Ew, that makes me think of Tom Cruise, which makes me think of him jumping on Oprah's couch. And we don't like to talk about that here. So instead I will say, "A+"! But that makes me think of school, and it is the weekend, so we don't like to talk about that here, either. Gosh, is there a reason that there isn't a way to say "GOOD JOB" without being reminded of something terribly disturbing? Well...I guess I could always just say "good job." So, um, good job, Nicky G!
(Why do I think this much about these things?)
ANYWAY. Futuristic classics! Right!

On the far left and far right, updated versions of quilting. The texture on the nude dress reminded me of doilies or lace napkins, and a simple wool sweater was brought into the future with bright green, sort of geometric threading (which really makes me think of that one lily pad game from Zoombinis. In a good way!)

The shoes (which were totally killer) were the greatest indication of this - oxfords or loafers or a wood-looking material elevated with geometric shapes and of what looked like minerals (and whose patterns and colors reminded me a lot of Snood. WHY IS THIS COLLECTION THE SUMMARY OF OUR FAMILY COMPUTER'S ACTIVITY FROM THE YEARS 2002-2005?)

The closing looks were WORDS. Lots of em. Some looked like newspaper or tabloid headlines, and some were in electric clock fonts. In a few looks, they were attached to and appeared to be pouring out of the skinny-legged pants, and in others, were printed on ninja star-shaped marshmallows held together by their corners. I couldn't figure out what this was getting at, but have a feeling it has to do with bringing communication to a new medium.

HA. Yeah, that's all I got. As a look, I dig it, though.


There were then pieces that weren't so obviously on the same wavelength as the collection's concept when broken down, but still felt just as modern. Palettes from Spring were updated, grey coats like the one below were simple as silhouettes but calmly assertive. Same goes for the textural pants mixed with humble striped sweaters.

Also? That dress next to the lil orange number? Needs to be styled with sheer Rodarte AW10 pants? Because it would look pretty and what I say goes? GOOD.

Balenciaga 2010

Spring color palettes updated to something that feels so right right now.

Guess what I did!

"SAT IN A CUSHIONY RESTAURANT BOOTH WITH A TOTORO DOLL!" you say. But there is something else...what's this? There's more?

"FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO USE YOUR SCANNER, LAZY MUNCH!" No, silly reader!

"I GIVE UP." Could this maybe perhaps be the article I wrote for Pop about going to Tokyo and meeting Rei Kawakubo aka my fashion hero and all-around hero not just fashion but in general for multiple reasons?
I THINK IT IS!

I mean, it was nuts. I can't even say..well, read the article, basically, and you'll see! I wrote it in December but rereading it now I don't like it, which is unfortunate, but also maybe a good thing because it means I am a better writer now? Blah. But like I said when I got back, the most special moments stay special when you keep them to yourself, so some of the trip I've saved for myself.
Pictures of dead fish and Studio Ghibli will be up soon...I didn't upload them for a while when I got home and then it felt like posting them would be random and untimely, so now is a good time with the magazine coming out.

Oh! And I took some pictures inspired by a series of photos by Richard Prince (who did the cover) called Fainted.

There was Comme! And Tao! And Junya! In my house! And my dog didn't pee on any of it! Even she knows what's up. I mean, she WAS, like, the total inspiration for an entire Miu Miu collection! If you sort of stretch the truth a tad!

So! The rest of the magazine is, y'know, fine, I guess. I'M THE BEST PART. Just kidding, ha ha ha.
*crickets.*

No, but really! I have many favorite parts, and spent lots of time getting my arm cut off by the scanner to bring you my favorite images from the new issue. even though all of these scans are already online so my doing so was kind of pointless. I KNOW, I KNOW, no need to thank me! But if you WERE to, you could do so with a new bike, or some Miu Miu for my dog.

THIS LINDSEY WIXSON EDITORIAL. makes me want. to be her best friend. and also live in new york. and also own lots of christopher kane and miu miu. but i wanted that anyway. it apparently also makes me not use caps.
Seriously though, it's just so fun and cute and I like seeing her smile! It was styled by Vanessa Reid, who normally does more layering and print mixing (as most represented by this editorial, and, as mentioned yesterday, she's the stylist for Missoni) and I think the way she made it more simple for this one works well in terms of the character being created. Miu Miu cats, Kane gingham, the lips at Philosophy, a pastel blue Alaia dress-you get the gist.


More Lindsey! This editorial works better when you see all the pictures together because it's basically all these teenagers that live in a house that is like a more crowded, more elaborate Grey Gardens. And they're all awesome and wear Yohji and Balenciaga and Nirvana sweatshirts and Alexander Wang letterman jackets all the time. WHY CAN'T THIS BE MY LIFE. I would LOVE to start a commune in a really crowded and bizarre house where we all just sit and stare into space while being aware of the other person's Prada chandelier dress or flowery Chanel heels and complimenting their sartorial choices through mind games. WHY WHY WHY.



There is an amazing Louise Bourgeois interview, and this photo of her makes me so happy.


Devon Aoki acts like an Allen Jones coffee table and it is awesome! Not in this photo, but it is my favorite from that ed. If I try to explain why it's good it will ruin it.


Okay, lately I have been really tired of nudity in fashion magazines because it's almost always done in a way that is supposed to be all sexytimes and it's not shocking anymore and it just feels cheap and easy, to me, mostly. Except here. Venetia Scott shot this editorial and it's really beautiful and summery and fields and Virgin Suicides (well, okay, I basically just associate EVERYTHING with a field in it with the Virgin Suicides) and the mood of the ed compensates for the fact that there isn't any styling. It really is more about a mood than fashion, but Pop isn't only fashion, and I am honestly in love with this. Can't exactly bring it to read on the train! but really nice.

Same nudity spiel goes for this:

I mean, it's not tacky, just really beautiful (a word I do not use often, for fear it might indicate some type of SOUL I may have).


Balenciaga shoes! On a tray! At first I thought the white wall was sand on the beach, and then I saw it was a wall. And it was weird.


Boxy pastel awesome etc.


THIS. EDITORIAL. Is, for one, like...100 pages. Or 50. But still, REALLY long. There is this amazing photo diary, and the colors, and the styling, and just so-there's that word again-beautiful.

martha stewart=winona ryder, to spencer, apparently

Oh hey, Internets! Haven't been checking up on you in a while. This weekend I was sort of busy moving 34058 tons of clothing into a new closet since there can only be so many baskets full of clothes scattered randomly across the house until you are immobile and tripping, a lot, all the time. Behold, Photo Documentation! Because I like to avoid real work and just stare at the Clueless/Olympics ceremonies on the pretty moving picture machine instead, and also take pictures of the stuff I'm supposed to be doing.

AND THIS IS NOT EVEN ALL OF IT. BY ANY. MEANS.
I have a problem. Is there a doctor in the house?
The answer to this would be, no! There is, sometimes, a friend named Spencer, and we sometimes act like goofballs (read: a lot.)

tree fight from Spencer Tweedy on Vimeo.

Ha ha, you crazy kids.

And what did I do today? Because you care, obviously? Well, for a science project, I collected bacteria on the many surfaces in the school bathrooms using Scientific Technological Fancy Devices known as q-tips. This meant toilet seats! And? The best part? That I had to collect from the boys' bathroom, too. EW COOTIES. And? The bester part? A DUDE CAME IN WHILE I WAS COLLECTING BACTERIA FROM THE PAPER TOWEL DISPENSER AND THOUGHT I WAS ALSO A DUDE. So. That's, um, that.

And aside from all this, what else did I do this weekend? Not blog, I'll tell you that! So I shall do so now, and catch up on Milan:Dolce and Gabbana. Um, I am too lazy to pick my favorites from 72 FREAKING LOOKS so here is the opener. It was definitely an extension from last season, though slightly more grown up (last season was kind of goth teenager at times, in a good way, of course.) Mostly I like that there wasn't really a hook, or a distinctive print that will make "DOLCE FALL 2010" spring to mind when I see it in a magazine: timeless pieces. And, like every designer and their mom this season, there was velvet. But it looked good! Draped velvet that didn't look like funky aunt condo upholstery! Bravo, men!
Still, some people are saying this is like..the new "power-dressing" or something? I mean, some pieces definitely were for a strong lady and whatnot, but it was hard to tell what the dudes wanted to say when there were seventy-two freaking looks. There wasn't a "hook", and I think this was mostly a good thing - no gimmicks. But there wasn't a consistency either, and any kind of statement about power dressing was lost when differing silhouettes were somewhat arbitrarily thrown out in an order that felt pretty random. There was something somewhat indecisive about it, and while I'm not opposed to some interesting tension, it didn't seem deliberate when the individual looks were exuding confidence and sexiness. But the overall vibe of the show, if lacking cohesion, was classic Dolce & Gabbana. I mean, leopard prints! Black! Polka dots! Pencil skirts! Silk florals!
Also, MOULIN ROUGE SOUNDTRACK! Epic!

And actually, this gets me thinking, because I just watched the video on style.com after writing this, and it seems like the show was actually really moving, and everyone there was crying because there was a video in the background of Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce actually making the clothes. And that's quite a nice idea; the dialogue between the designer and the clothing is very personal. My reaction versus the reaction of the people speaking in the video reminded me of what Suzy Menkes recently said about how a collection can't be reviewed if the writer wasn't actually at the show. I sort of disagree - I mean, if I had been at the show, I would've seen the video and heard the soundtrack and been in a room full of crying people before writing what I thought about the collection itself. While the show certainly helps the designer convey their message, it's also sort of jading, because you're given preconceived notions as to what you're supposed to see. I'm thinking out loud here, so bear with me. But really, it is just about the clothes themselves, isn't it? And what they can convey on their own, without music, and a set, and hair and makeup? How important is presentation? Hm hm hm. What do you think? I'm curious.

Moving on...

Marni. Every season Consuelo Castiglioni and Lucinda Chambers somehow makes totally grandma-style stuff just work and come with a sort of coolness and effortlessness. I think the breezy attitude was supposed to make its mark with oversized tops, but in some cases ended up looking too boxy, or stuffy, or drowning, or awkwardly-fitted and frumpy. And like, I love awkward fitting! AND frumpy! A lot! And also clothes that drown the wearer, because I like being a hermit! But for some reason I couldn't get with it this time. Other than that, and one dress that was maybe a bit too similar to that Margiela get up, I loved it. I usually do love Marni. There were, as always, epic prints and colors. Marni always, always does wonderful colors! The breeziness (this is starting to sound like a goddamn Covergirl commercial, my God) still found its way in by the end, with sheers and low cuts and slivers of sequins and relaxed color palettes.

Missoni. Okay, there was seriously something really tingly and exciting and awesome in the zig zag-printed water coolers at the Missoni offices this season because WOW. The label has been in a seriously new direction since Vanessa Reid became the stylist but I think for a couple seasons the styling was more to credit on account of mood of the collection, more so than the actual design. This time we got a nice balance. The doily dresses (to be worn with Rodarte doily top, obvz) and giant blanket ponchos are nomadic on their own, especially with a sandier, darker color palette (not a cooler one, necessarily-just darker. I picked here the looks I liked the most, but there were warm colors too. I am just really drawn to greens and blues!) World traveler, right here, but with a certain sumptuousness. I don't think there is another fashion house that can spell out luxury in free-spirited clothing in quite the same way.