Monday, August 31, 2015

i know that you're out here




this is the outfit i've been wearing for trying to be productive and creative in the last few days of summer. it's loose and really comfortable and works well for the fluctuating weather.

i kind of just found the pink and yellow sweater in my closet / i made the white culottes / and the really cute delicious-smelling hello kitty candy bracelet that somehow matches the sweater (!) was a favor from a friend's birthday party. 


tndra:

Claude Monet
Peaches (detail), 883

i've been really loving the warm sunset tones of peaches and nectarines and all those stone fruits. i read this thing about how the most beautiful color schemes are the ones found in nature and i got weirdly excited about it. i think that (and drake) has been my main point of inspiration lately. 

plant-scans:
The Great Barrier Reef, Allan Power 1969

i'm also thinking a lot about the vma's last night-- namely mtv's obsession with female "beef." the use of that word feels like they are so determined to reinforce the "angry black woman" trope through nicki minaj that they would posit a rightful criticism about anti-blackness in the music industry (one that continues to reward white people for the colonization of black culture) as a needless display of anger. it trivializes a valid discussion that needs to be had and makes it out to be a catfight i guess.

alongtimealone:


Victor Higgins


it makes nicki seem petty and makes miley look like the innocent victim and before you know it, we're discussing her feelings instead of the very real issues facing black creatives. we're reducingas a 14 year old black girl who's trying to create a space for herself in the world, it makes me uncomfortable that the idea of nicki standing up for herself or other black women could easily be ignored because she's not being as polite as possible in the face of ignorance or hatred.

i just finished that candy bracelet, and this post is over. it's so meta <33

 peaches (claude monet) / the great barrier reef (allan power) / by victor higgins



Thursday, August 20, 2015

you're my right hand, you're my go-to




 
 
  

my outfit today was inspired by the leather, stripes, and silhouettes of acne pre-ss16. i also somehow ended up focusing in on the blue, which is a color i've been into lately. (no, i cannot stick to an aesthetic for longer than a week, if you were wondering-- i think i'm over it).

i'm thinking a lot about color theory, and the use of analogous colors (blue, blue-purple, and purple) in the first two looks really appealed to me. the patterned overlays looked really modern and clean with that camel skirt. the red peacock-y dress reminded me of something 3.1 phillip lim would do/ something out of the 90s grunge revival. that red trench coat is the light of my life, fire of my loins pretty great too.

-=-
kanyinsola

Monday, August 17, 2015

if you're offering me diamonds and rust i've already paid

lately i've been feeling a more subtle version of the 60s mod girl: big sur, joni mitchell, all those jean luc goddard movies, brigitte bardot and the eponymous shirts, polo necks and suedes, high waisted trousers, brogues etc.





i took the photos with my webcam this time, and like, it's grainy as usual, but i kind of like it??



copenhagen street style \ topshop cord button dress \ everything i'm wearing is thrifted.


(anouk aimee / tumblr / francoise hardy / bianca jagger)


i couldn't find them anywhere but i really really want those big round structured sunglasses, the ones that your grandma has idk.

(francoise hardy / chloe sevigny fw13 / francoise hardy, christy turlington)
turtlenecks: i love them, they always look cool. i might have mentioned this before but i used to hate them passionately until 7th grade, and if you're keeping track that's 13 years of missing out on a chance to look like anyone from your friend's dad to a 60s pop singer. versatility, my friends. 


(top row: edie sedgwick / bottom row: jane birkin)

casual dressing in a button down or a loose shirt and blue jeans-- like margaret's 'painting outfit' in big eyes. 
big eyes

unknown / francoise hardy / brigitte bardot

these strange polyurethane pleather suit-things. not really sure what they are but i've noticed a bit of them. i love the shape and sunset color of the first one.


 the all white. bianca jagger's suit is like the absolute queen of this concept. it's so cohesive and so effortless. francoise hardy looks p cool too.

what do you guys think of this look? what have you been into lately?

-=-
kanyinsola

Friday, August 14, 2015

vfiles as the future of fashion

via
Lately I've been spending a lot of time on the VFiles website. In a time when a lot of people are mourning the "death of fashion journalism and blogging" as interest declines, VFiles feels like the next frontier. The social media site/archive is a fresh perspective, a new method of sharing ideas that's dedicated to re-energizing the industry. 

restrain
The website originated as an source of fashion images, a way to present different ideas for a shoot or something; and the ethos behind that still remains on today's website: There are tons of archival photos from runway shows and print magazines that would usually be out of reach for kids who are interested in fashion (60% of VFiles users are under 24).

via
In terms of being a kind of fashion encyclopedia, there's also the VFiles Data and Vnacular series that are really short (shoutout to that millennial attention span or whatever), interesting ways to learn about the big names in the industry, how to say mispronounced fashion words, things that are part of the rich, somewhat exclusive/esoteric history of fashion.


All of their shows are available in the VFiles TV section and on their Youtube channel, where they have my two favorites: Model Files and Intern Files. I started watching Intern Files when I saw that this really cool VFiles intern I follow on Instagram was on it. The series follows a group of teens competing for the chance to intern for the company. It manages to strike this weird balance of reality television satire and earnestness where I feel like I'm getting some warped, hilarious version of the very real drama of the fashion industry.

The founder of VFiles describes the website as both a community and a platform, the community aspect being the most interesting to me. All of the media that's on the website right now was uploaded by any of the over 78,000 members.  The setup of the website recognizes the different parts of the organism that are necessary for survival in the fashion industry, and allows designers, photographers, models, stylists, musicians, artists etc with similar ideas to connect. 
photography by jingyu lin
makeup by meredith menchel
Any members on VFiles can browse media and organize it into Files as part of their profile, kind of like moodboards:
vfile by supersabrina
As a creative on VFiles, there are a lot of opportunities to get your work out there if you can't do it in conventional venues by putting your stuff up to be sold in the VFiles shop, or applying to be a part of the VFiles-made fashion show. And the best part of this (though there are some flaws) is that VFiles users are the ones that decide who's chosen.



The footage from the shows of the past few years show a lot of really innovative designers, who have their own aesthetics and definitions of the "cool" that the fashion industry is obsessed with. I have endless admiration for this concept, because it really fits into my utopian image of a fashion industry that is connected and inventive.




What do you guys think of all this-- what does this mean for the future of fashion? Are you as excited about this as I am?
-=-
kanyinsola

Monday, August 10, 2015

ain't no rest for the wicked




a garish confrontation between the corporate and creative london is  the inspiration behind claire barrow's aw15 collection.  silky pieces screen-printed pieces with the designer's notes and scribbles, and gelled hair dance in the wind of office fans placed next to each model. these fans create an artificial outdoor experience in the grey-carpeted office space. 



aubreylstallard:

Erin Armstrong, “Through the French Quarter”


the gloves add something victorian to the all-velvet look. i really love the pegasus drawings on the bottom. 

 
i was also reminded of the creepy schoolgirlish (coraline, the shining twins) vibe from the doodles on the tights on the right. the line drawings make me think of karolina koryl's drawings:

korvjl:

mom, who is your vcmcuum clnn? / july 2015 / karolina koryl



the aesthetic of the hand-written notes (scrawled and panicked) is very #relatable to me and the way i try to keep my life organized. i also am a big fan of the color and material of the skirt. 

 

the "high flyer" theme built on a desire to fly away from the bustle of the city was also seen in the windswept hair tied up and leather aviator pieces that make up the uniform of an amelia earhart character. 

4ysl:

comme des garçons shirt 



the outerwear in this collection is incredible too: the scribbled scarves, 70s suede jacket and billowing coat manage to be both practical for windy cities and really cool.

thanks 2 everyone who stuck through my 3 week hiatus while i was at a hippie summer camp where they took our phones away ;(. if you're wondering, it was a great experience, and i'm excited to get back into my regular rituals and schedule.

-=-
kanyinsola 

through the french quarter by erin armstrong / by karolina koryl  /commes des garcons shirt