Making The Cut

I'm a 3rd generation pixie wearer in my family. It started with my grandmother when she was a model in a hair competition in the 1960's. The stylist gave her a Vidal Sassoon inspired geometrical crop that ended up being the winning cut of the show. Fast forward to the late 80s when my mom decided to get a super short pixie that has remained her signature style today. I then followed in their footsteps my junior year of high school. So I guess you can say it's a tradition among the Voigt family women.

For most I suppose the style can be quite scary, but for me it was never a frowned upon cut or one that created question of femininity. As a child peeking through the doorway of our bathroom, I would watch my mother put her daily face on and think she was the most elegant, feminine person I know--and she truly was. She instilled in me a mentality that you should never be ruled by trends or social expectation. Fashion is fun, and it should be what YOU make of it. Because after all nothing is permanent and you are always welcome to evolve once you feel the need to. If you are worried about pulling off this look, I believe having this mindset is essential. Ever heard the saying that confidence is attractive?

So you want the cut, now how to go about it?! Should you just take the dive? Perhaps. If you are brave about it. I wasn't quite as brave as my mother & grandmother and instead turned it into a 4-step process.

Step 1? Start going shorter! My first plan of action was to go from my long, mid back gracing hair to a short bob ala Kiera Knightley a few years ago. If you liked this look you can move to step 2.
Step 2? Analyze your face shape and try to find a short style that will compliment your features. A quick Google will find tons of material on the subject. 
Step 3? For my first pixie I chose a slightly longer version. I think it's very important to choose a stylist you trust and to always provide a picture! I brought in this shot of Agyness Deyn when she had slightly longer bangs to frame the face, making it feel like more hair was there.
Step 4? Carpe diem! This time I brought in a shot of Mia Farrow from Rosemary's baby and received the hairstyle that I now keep today.  

Follow the cut to read about my top 5 pixie muses.

D.I.Y. Crystal Hair Clip

       I have a thing for rocks, especially any mineral or polished stone. As a child when we vacationed in Florida, there was a souvenir shop we always frequented, and my parents would allot $20 per kid for trinkets. They had a case full of polished rocks & I would leave each time with a bag of $20 rocks.

As an adult I'm still attracted to them. I hate collecting things and not using them though. This gave me the idea to combine my love of stones and fashion and create some crystal hair clips.

The stones I used for this time actually aren't rocks at all, but a more affordable option of decorative glass rocks that can be found at any craft/home decor store. I feel they're a pretty close match to quartz though. 

This super simple d.i.y takes minutes to do and it looks especially great paired with minimalist fashions!

Christopher Shannon S/S 2014 Glitter Hair

        London Fashion Week for the Menswear Collections is a new installment in the fashion calendar. While it is only a few seasons in, the shows always offer some of the most creative collections. One of those that stood out was Christopher Shannon. The collection offered up a lot of brightly colored sportswear, but the glittery hair is what really drew our attention. Wonderland Magazine posted a quick 3 step process to achieve this eccentric hair look. Using their tips we recreated the look:

We decided to purchase inexpensive products that can be found at any drugstore or supermarket. Wonderland suggests using the Fudge brand hair products.

Recreating this hair trend can be extremely messy, so we recommend doing it outside or in a bathroom. Also it is a good idea to tape some foil or plastic wrap around your face and neck to catch any stray glitter. This is a very important step because it is very difficult to completely remove any glitter from your skin.

image credit: dazeddigital.com

Chiharu Okunugi

This recent runway F/W 13.14 season a few fresh faces stood out amongst the sea of new models. One of these is Tokyo based, Chiharu Okunugi. 

The Japanese beauty, Okunugi, has an elegant and refined look which has helped her stand out. Okunugi is also rising to stardom riding the wave of the current high demand of Asian models led by Liu Wen, Xiao Wen Ju, Shu Pei and Du Juan among others. 

Okunugi debuted in S/S 12 walking for the likes of Hermes, Yohji Yamamoto, Mugler, and Moncler Gamme Rouge, following with a strong F/W 13.12 season. This season she walked a staggering 54 shows. She appears in the CR Fashion Book #2, Prada Real Fantasies S/S 13 Lookbook, and Vogue China

Eye Candy: LUKASZ WIERZBOWSKI

Polish photographer Lukasz Wierzbowski is literally the first flickr crush I ever had. Back then he went under the moniker fakeneverland and produced mostly digital works. Even in those days when he was still crafting his now signature style, it was apparent I was looking at something genius. It is hard to define Lukasz's work. Certainly not your typical fashion photography, it seems Lukasz is more pre-occupied with creating the fantastical world his models inhabit than simply the act of showing 'fashion'. With patterns on top of patterns and saturated colors, his subjects are often seen contorted into unnatural movements that lend a unique atmosphere to his works. There is always something off in his pictures that keeps viewers on their toes and speaks to his ability to create photos that are fresh and innovative.    

Lukasz has produced work for such publications as Penguin, Getty, Urban Outfitters and Saatchi and Saatchi and you can catch his interviews in such publications as Dazed Digital and Urban Outfitters.

The Future of Fashion

Last year I discovered a very tasty and healthy drink called kombucha. Kombucha is a fermented tea that originated in China. While researching the tea, I came across some fascinating articles on how a designer/scientist is using kombucha to create fabrics for her designs! Suzanne Lee is a Senior Researcher at Central Saint Martins, University of Arts & Design  in London. 

Lee developed a line called BioCouture.

All Hail Kate

original Kate image by Corinne Day

Kate Moss has proven to still be fashion's prevailing darling. She sure has started off 2013 with a bang, racking up not only 4 covers but being deemed the face of 6 brands in their S/S 13 campaigns. Scandal has not evaded Kate's career, and the fact that after all of that she is still in high demand (and looking pretty good!), makes it impossible not to admire the woman/give major props for her resilience. 

Let's take a look at Kate's 2013 portfolio (thus far):

Interview Dec 2012/Jan 2013

i-D Pre-Spring 2013

 

 

Love Magazine S/S 13 & W Magazine March 2013

S/S 2013 Ad campaigns 

 

 

(Vivienne Westwood,Stuart Weitzman, Rag & Bone, Givenchy, and Versace and Liu-Jo) 

STATS:

How: Discovered in 1988 at age 14 by Storm Model Management.

 Big Break: First work for British publication The Face. 

Claim to fame: In the 1990s became known as the "anti supermodel" in response to Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer. Known for her thin frame and below-model-average height.

Style notes: heroin chic 

Famous Muse of: Calvin Klein, Prada, Chanel, Burberry, and YSL 

See Her Face In: Numerous international Vogue covers, W, Harper's Bazaar, Dazed and Confused, plus a whole lot more!

ALL HAIL KATE!

D.I.Y. Glass Spike Headband

Supplies:

Czech pressed glass spike beads (6)

thin plastic headband (Scünci Effortless Beauty 3 pack)

E6000 glue

It is obvious that the spiked headband has been done time and again, rehashed repackaged and published numerous times among fashion bloggers. I do have to say though, even after massive over exposure, I have yet to grow tired of this trend. I have been wanting to create my own version of this for a while--and my inspiration came when I came across a site that sold a spike different from the typical ones in metallic tones I am familiar with seeing. They are called 'Czech pressed glass' spikes; some are opaque and some are clear, but the main selling point for me is the wide range of colors and patterns that they can be found in (click here to see!). For this project I picked a semi-opaque spike in a tanzanite color sized at 6.5x15mm. I paired it with a clear plastic headband that feels more on-trend for the moment. 

There is no real guidelines to making this, simply glue! I will leave you with a tip on using E6000 glue: it helps it to adhere when the surface is rough so I ran the bottoms of the spikes across sand paper before applying. Have no idea about E600 glue? (Read this)

Men's London Fashion Week

Christopher Kane

Christopher Kane's collection for menswear F/W 2013 takes its inspiration from the horror genre and legendary punk band the Cramps. Kane shows off graphic t-shirts with Dracula and the monster from the Black Lagoon. He pairs all this with dark velvets seen in the trousers and shoes, fitting for a goth prince.

  

Jonathan Saunders

Jonathan Saunders' menswear collections for Fall/Winter 2013 combines to opposing elements. Mixing natural colors and materials with slick plastic panels on coats as well as on the shoes. Saunders' uses dark greens and blues for a natural vibe combining those cool colors with a warm red and orange. Saunders' further continues the natural theme by using fabrics such as wool, mohair, felts, flannel and cotton.  

Topman Design

Topman Design's collection for the Fall/Winter 2013 mens fashion week explores the modern traveling man's wardrobe. Topman Design heavily features the parka and other heavy outerwear in neutral tones and bright colors such as red and orange. Pea coats and vivid knits with exotic prints round out the adventurer's wardrobe.

all images credit: style.com

Fresh Faces of F/W 13.14

Samuel Roberts

Samuel started this season off in Milan booking Jil Sander, Missoni, Les Hommes, Z Zenga, Fendi and Salvatore Ferragamo and in Paris appeating on the runways of Raf Simons, Louis Vuitton, Viktor & Rolf,Boris Bidjan, Berluti, Hermes, Wooyoungmi, and Paul Smith. With his classically good looks and a solid show lineup, I'm sure we will see more of Samuel. Samuel is with Fusion in NY, I Love Models Management in Milan and Natalie Models in Paris. 

Matt Ardell 

Matt made his debut on the catwalk of Hedi Slimane's first menswear show for Saint Laurent Paris. Matt's no stranger to the fashion world having already graced the covers of Hero, i-D and Vogue Hommes International. Matt is with DNA in NY. 

Michael Lange

Michael is not necessarily a newcomer since this is his second season however he continues to solidify his presence on the runways of Bottega Veneta, Valentino, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Cerruti, and Wooyoungmi among others. Michael also generated more interest  with his appearance in Lanvin's S/S 2013 campaign shot by Steven Meisel! Michael is with Wilhelmina in NY and Success models in Paris. 

Focus On: Katie Eary Fall 2013 Menswear

Fashion for night walkers. That was the theme of Katie Eary's Fall 2013 menswear collection, where models wearing vampire fangs paraded down the runway in boldly printed street wear. Much inspiration can be taken from Katie Eary's youthful designs. Items that we are especially coveting/will definitely be tempted to recreate from this collection: glittery sunglasses and golden neckwear. What do you think of Katie Eary's take on vampire fashion?

photo sources: gq-magazine.co.uk, fuckingyoung.es, dazeddigital, selectism

Pre-Fall 2013 Highlights

3.1 Phillip Lim

         For his pre-fall collection Phillip Lim drew inspiration from bikers, and biker girls. The inspiration comes through subtle though, through his use of leathers, phoenix embellished sweaters, and the boxy, more androgynous silhouettes that inject an overall 'tough girl' vibe into his looks. One thing that Lim stressed is that even if the Phillip Lim girl has a thing for the biker life, she never forgets her jewels. Jeweled necklines are seen throughout the collection, and the element I found most exciting and must recreate a.s.a.p.: jeweled turtlenecks.

Erdem

       For me, I don't think there will ever be a time that I tire of the Erdem floral print. Erdem Moralioglu is clearly the master of floral prints in fashion. While his collections do keep similar key notes season after season, this collection is not without experimentation. For this collection Erdem made use of some unexpected fabrics such as sheer organza, pvc, leather, and mesh. His lady-like prints in conjunction with these new materials keeps his collection looking fresh and modern.

  

Belstaff 

       Belstaff's Martin Cooper revived the brand in 2011, since then he has redefined British heritage with his well constructed collections. This collection stands out because of the distinct feminine and masculine touches as seen in the leather jackets, skirts and boots combined with the furs, silks and quilted coats. The theme can also be seen in the color palette of black, navy, and brown mixed with red and beige.

Proenza Schouler

      Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez create a fantastic and truly beautiful Pre- Fall collection. The duo begin the show with a graphic print that is seen throughout the collection and continue to evolve the collection with checked patterns to the final looks done with a distinct metallic color and pattern. Proenza Schouler's collection is at its best because it offers essential wardrobe staples.

D.I.Y. Meadham Kirchoff's Opulence

photo via masha-mel.blogspot.com

rhinestone overlays via expointl @flickr.com

The spectacular display of ornamental excess presented at the Meadham Kirchoff S/S 13 show left a resounding impression upon us. It was the kind of show that you can revisit time again and discover new facets of detail: the glitter-encrusted manicures, the never-ending layers of bow, pearl, and stone; all crafted in the richest jewel tones.   

What we took away from this show was a new found compulsion to embellish -particularly in the fashion of Kirchoff's rhinestone necklaces and head bands.  

We created our own vision of Kirchoff using an old head band stripped bare, and a plain gold collar necklace, that we drenched in rhinestones purchased from a local craft store. We used a regular glue gun to apply, which has held the stones very well; but for a more permanent hold: jewel glue, or E6000 glue works best. 

The September Issues

September is one of the most exciting months for fashion. Fashion magazine's are looked at for all the upcoming fall trends and runway reviews. In order to draw in the reader's one must have an  eye catching cover. Here are our favorites and disappointments for September 2012.

 Harper's Bazaar Spain: Guinevere Van Seenus by Nico

Vogue Paris: Kate Moss, Lara Stone & Daria Werbowy by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott

These two covers stood out among the releases because of their simplicity in the styling and presentation of the covers. The same cannot be said for the underwhelming covers of September. W magazine usually features a celebrity and there is nothing wrong in their choice of cover star. However the beauty shot of Penelope leaves a lot to be desired. The styling did not help the cover either. Dazed and Confused likes to release original, sometimes controversial covers. This month was no exception. Azelia Bank's cover was banned in several countries because of the perverse nature of the cover. We have to agree. The cover is not fashion forward or aesthetically pleasing. Just trashy. The one thing we do love is Azelia's mermaid-esque hair color. 

Dazed & Confused: Azealia Banks by Sharif Hamza

W : Penelope Cruz by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott

Image credit: Models.com