22 ways to say black

swarovski crystals latest collaborative fashion offering
employs the talents of the long list of designers they call
friends. names like phillip lim, donna karan, lanvin,
alberta ferretti are just a few who took part in swarovski's
take on the timeless staple, the little black dress.

each designer used swarovski crystals to customize their own
version of the little black dress for the project. another one
you may have heard of, giorgio armani, had this to say about
22 ways: "couture is the purest expression of a designer's art,
it is an opportunity to really explore the possibilities of fashion
without the commercial constraints."

the project began last year and was unveiled at paris couture
week in january. having traveled from france, to beijing then
onward to new york city the dresses will be sold at auction this
september. one hundred percent of the profits will go the
american cancer society.

for more information check their swarovski website at:

http://www.brand.swarovski.com/Content.Node/presscentre/news/
news-fashion/lbd.en.html#/en/presscentre/news/news-fashion/lbd

**photo by derek blasberg, sourced from vmagazine.com

http://www.vmagazine.com/2010/07/dark-crystal/

hipster: the dead end of western civilization

if you love hipsters, hate hipsters or in fact are a hipster
it might be worth while perusing this gem of an article
by canadian writer douglas haddow.

recently published in adbusters the piece gives a pretty
spot-on summary about what it is that hipsterdom contributes
to society as whole, and the kind of change, growth or
benefit we have seen come from this movement of sorts.
that is, nothing.

check it out here on the adbusters website:

https://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html

**image sourced from adbusters.com

artists making it in detroit

it's no big secret that detroit is an extensive catalogue
of urban decay. amidst this mass of deterioration there is
a thriving, welcoming community of artists who have
made a this city home.

detroit is the optimum environment for an artist rising -
a place where you can basically run free to create and use
what is available to do so.

the article and slide show from the new york times are super
interesting. check them out:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/arts/design/04maker.
html?ref=design

** image sourced from nytimes.com

mad men ready-to-wear at qvc

if you've not been caught up in the mad men mania then you
my friend are a rare breed. costume designer janie bryant is
responsible for the casts perfectly suited, and well researched
1960s attire you see on the show. having also devised costumes
for show deadwood she will soon be releasing a personal
style guide.

this fall however, she will be releasing a line of ready-to-wear
garments, 1960s inspired as on mad men which will be sold
through qvc stores. there is no doubt the anticipation will build
closer to the lines release, and you should likely expect some sort
of hysteria when the pieces hit stores.

for a full run down check the article on fashionista here:

http://fashionista.com/2010/07/mad-men-costume-designer-
janie-bryant-talks-with-us-about-her-new-qvc-collection/

**image sourced from amc.com

festival gil vincente

here is some truly beautiful, graphically bold and
extremely well designed print media from this
years 'festival of contemporary theater.' all black
and white- which doesn't seem to get enough play
these days- it really is a fantastic series of brochures,
info booklets, posters and more.

check it out, worth scrolling slowly to really absorb it!

http://www.tokionserved.com/Gallery/Festivais-Gil-
Vicente-2010/519259

** image and info sourced from tokion.com

paris couture

although it is a seemingly shrinking entity there are
a handful of couture houses still showing. the scale
of the shows may pale in comparison with days past but
they definitely continue to make a spectacle nonetheless.
of course names like chanel, dior, galliano, armani and
gaultier are still on show and they are making their
presence known in shows dominated with color.

check some snaps on the new york times website:

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/07/07/fashion
/20100708-couture.html

for the full article head to:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/08/fashion/08
COUTURE.html?ref=fashion

** image sourced from new york times

victor reyes - misspelled

over the past two years victor reyes has undertaken an ambitious
public art project on the streets on san francisco, taking letters of
the alphabet and reinterpreting them with amazing visual vibrancy.

after covering san franciscan walls, rooftops, fences and trucks the
project has morphed into an exhibition opening at the robert berman
gallery in SF from july 7th, 2010 through august 14th, 2010.

if you can't make it to the show (i wish!) you can get a lovely little taste
of what you're missing from the misspelled teaser on reyes's website:

http://reyes78.com/home/

**artwork by victor reyes, sourced from reyes78.com