Thanks to a number of friends aware of my affinity-bordering-on-obsession with actress and mega-model Kristen McMenamy, my in-box has been bombarded with .jpegs and .tiffs offering peeks into her latest performance: that of the ‘centerpiece’ for Viktor & Rolf’s AW/11 collection during Paris Women’s Fashion Week.
March 6, 2010 at Espace Ephemere Tuileries
:: The “Glamour Factory” as presented by Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren ::
one conveyor belt, two brilliant designers
ten layers of garments, their Ready-To-Wear collection
stripped off the show’s “leading lady,” piece by piece
oftentimes turning them inside out—before
dressing one of the walking-sticks models awaiting.
& then? the inverse:
each wearing black leather caps, sunglasses, their hair pulled back
top models, yes: but in this context,
all just “part of the machinery.”
Replicas.
:: & note :: the dress :: becomes a behemoth Elizabethan collar ::
One moment I’m in Iowa working with my comrades Dustin and Brian of Novice Industries; the next, I’m rushing to hair and make-up with my pal Aldo o’ the Vento.
(DISCLAIMER: *Please note that when I sat down to write this entry, I intended to “hot-link” each and every applicable mention. However, as one whom is technologically-challenged, reason had to over-rule that lofty notion upon realization that if I wanted to actually publish the &#$%ing blogature before Christmas, I was gonna have to Leave The Ideals To Plato. In other words, feel free to zap me an email if I provided a broken link, or none at all where you’d like there to be. Scout’s honor: there was noShade cast here with any deliberation! Capiche? Mmm-kay, back to business then; thanks…)
Aldo volunteered his services to help me out with door duty, which proved itself much needed the moment we went from what was intended as a brief session of “helloing”–as pictured below, kicking off the evening with the lovelyJenelle Rensch, graphic design wiz (and incidentally the mastermind responsible for my CC logo in its final incarnation),Mr.Aldo VentoHimselfness, model and co-star with me in Matthew Mishory’s film “Delphinum: A Childhood Portrait of Derek Jarman,” which is currently winding its way about the international film festival circuit(the world premiere of which was 5 September 2009, at thePortobello Film Festival in London):
and, you know, a familiar face, I suppose… shifting from Prancy, Postured, Poised–to
Any semblance of order and ‘proper’ decorum
Tossed out the window like last week’s copy of Us Weekly when
Bummer we couldn’t get her 12 year old brother past security, but…well, he’s 12.
(Even compared to my own track record, that’s 4 years before I began to hustle my way into clubs– And look how I turned out!)
A cautionary tale? (Y/Y?)
As rabid “90210″ fanatics attempted to claw their way towards the living, breathing version of “Naomi” they recognized from their living rooms, I did my best to sneak the party of pretty-pretties into the inner sanctum: a seated area complete with really good ‘Goodie Bags’–sponsored by Janome sewing machines, Fiji water, Tarina Tarantino jewelry, Amtrak, Josie Cotton, and Sebastian Hair Care Products–
as well as the precise locale where soon enough, leather metallic fabric ∞ stitching nipped and tailored ∞ silkscreened paintings ∞ tricked-out hair with neon nets ∞ make-up more surreal than real world , and the spirit of unfettered creativity and unapologetic flamboyance
RULED. (And how!)
After all, why was everyone at the Social Club?
TheMOSTCORRECT RUNWAY DEBUT of the retina-shattering, cardiac arrest-inducing, sensory-overloading atelier extraordinaire
rockin’ some ‘tude, with pop legend Josie Cotton (L) and me
(Is it obvious I’m L-O-V-I-N-G the custom jacket Jared created?)
Carelessly tossing any accusations of “obsequious” over the shoulder like the Latest!Fashion!Craze!– “Fashion is for those who have yet to understand ’style’”– here’s what it boils down to at the carnival’s end: my first interaction with Mssr. Gold hearkens back to a bleak time in American history. We met shortly after his 2001 debut in Manhattan on September the 10th, an inauspicious moment for anyone to premiere clothing design, as it transpired mere hours before the atrocity known as 9/11.
Eight years have passed in the interim, and still: the creative outpourings of this inimitable virtuoso never cease to amaze me.
That being said, it should come as no surprise that for his collaborative effort with visual artist
Simply put, Mr.Petker’s paintings are most God, indeed. Over the span of the last few years, I’ve admired his murky-canvased beauties from afar (and might have, well, you know …”peeked in” on a certain Cahuenga Blvd gallery show)– so when the opportunity presented itself this Christmas past, I was stoked to make his acquaintance and bear witness to a bit of the brainstorms and dark-clouded creative rumblings between these two masterminds.
Hence, please allow me to present
A preview before the Gold versus Petker mash-up, for those of who might not be acquainted with the work of this inventive gentleman:
from 2008,
two images pilfered from an interview in the art-blog equivalent of masticating a corpus callosum
“[Petker's] work is like that girl you know will destroy you but somehow you just can’t resist.”
- Manuel Bello
(Entitled “Hunting For Witches,” this one SLAUGHTERS me…Slaughters me, Maing!)
(and above: from 2009, one of Petker’s most recent watercolors)
Fine art from a fine fellow…Petker has not only become one of my favorite contemporary artists, but he’s also just about one of the kindest dudes you could meet. (And I say ‘dude,’ as he is very much one, indeed—but I mean that in the absolute best sense of the sports-obsessed, beer-swilling sense of the word. I hope I’m communicating that effectively!?)
At any rate, speaking of ‘fine’—there was no shortage of squealing over Twilight’s hunkasaurus
among the crowd at theGold versus Petker extravaganza.
Full disclosure: I’ve never seen Twilight , nor have I read any of the books. Said another way? I wasn’t aware Who He Is—but not to worry…it’s not as if frenetic whispering girls and paparazzi flashbulbs going pop! were in short supply.
Short of the long? Mr. Lutz was a complete gentleman: there was none of the “Don’t You Know Who…” routine that’s as played-out as clunky monster boots. (Seriously, kids? Just. Don’t.) Equal parts accessible any coy, Lutz maintained a genteel decorum I often refer to as From The School of ‘Leave-Them-Longing.’
A rare trait in today’s tabloid-congested society, unfortunately. With yellow journalism the norm rather than the exception, these days it’s as if the lump sum of Tinseltown’s silver lining is tinged with rust.
I mean, let’s face it: once one is inundated with images of our ’stars’ being— well, — as flawed and human as the rest of us? There’s a natural tendency for audience members to be less willing to accept Coleridge’s “Willing Suspension of Disbelief” in terms of an implausible premise.
However, the academic vernacular? Hereby duly noted. (Apologies for the yawnage, please.&.thanks!)
Instead, a shifting of gears to that hotness known as AnnaLynne. As for The CW’s “90210,” I did, in fact, see the two-hour premiere—though can’t say I remember much about the episode other than Cory Kennedy and Mark The Cobra Snake’s cameo appearance.
*Appearances? I’ve been staring at this blue screen far too long, I’m afraid.
Whatever the case, congrats to the duo—both of whom have graduated from their former status as ‘fixtures’ among L.A.’s nightlife to full-fledged international phenomenons quite successfully.
As for AnnaLynne, her role as Eden Lord in Nip/Tuck’s fifth season was no mere incident of (envision air quotes) scene-stealing; it nabbed the entire season. Seriously? But seriously… Upon discovery of her 2009 win as “Greatest Break-Through Talent” at the Teen Choice Awards, my opine is succinct: well-deserved.
Oh yes…and since this is a city fueled by the mythic power of Celebrity,
pictured here with the Cute-As-They-Come Kim Bruder
More images await “beneath the cut…”
However, since both the event and amount of photos collected –cough!STOLEN cough!–is of epic proportions, I’ve decided to divvy the lot up into three parts: Before The Madness (on which your gaze is fixed at this moment), Petker’s Paintings In Stiletto Pumps (the catwalk-stalking and crowd-gawking), and Dance.Music.Sweat.Romance (the after-party).
That being stated, Please! Click Away– for More Gore Gore Gorgeousness…
Become Part of Jared Gold’s Traveling Renegade
Company!
We’re looking for one dedicated fashionista to join our troupe with the Jared Gold Renegade Tour this Fall. If you are awarded the
spot, you’ll get the down and dirty on what life’s like on the road for the models, the crew and the designers who work on my staff to
pull off the fabulous spectacle that is fashion. The pre-reqs are only that you get as many of your friends as you can to donate to
the AAF, You don’t even have to donate if you don’t want to… but I hope you do. When you donate, you become a member of my Mystery Circle. Join my club today, and the treasures of my kingdom are open to you… special offers, apparel, discounts, toys, and the possibility of going on the adventure of a lifetime. Everyone on my team has pledged $10 to the American Artisan Foundation™, which is the low, low cost of membership that helps me to create grassroots jobs across America. Tell a hundred friends to join, and if they do, and help us to regrow the fashion trade in America, special honors await! So join us, and tell all your friends that I’m creating fashion jobs across America, and could use their help. The more you bring on board, the closer you are to touring as a pro
with the nation’s only group of authentic Fashion Renegades!
Experience the luxeness of one month on the road traveling with Jared’s Renegade Tour… The Lights! The Magic The Mystery, The
Models! One of Jared’s Magic Circle will get the opportunity of a lifetime for high fashion adventure…
Where fashion blogs are for the most part mediocre and ubiquitous (other than this awesome and arty offering from twelve year old fashion blogger, Tavi) fashion videos on YouTube tend to follow suit with meaningless musings that are often more asinine and offensive than their blog counterparts. Luckily for you, we’ve trawled through them all to separate the wheat from the chaff (or the Hermes from the H&M) to bring you the best vlog offerings (and some hilarious one-off videos) from some highly questionable self-proclaimed stylists.
Fashion Police celebrate the L.A. Hipster
Hipsters get a pretty rough reception sometimes from mainstream culture, but this video shows the outrageous Clint Catalyst and Jayme Foxx boldly celebrating the errant ways of the LA hipster clan. You’ll love to hate them, yet begrudgingly agree with their Fashion Don’ts, and they’ll love you right back… after all irony is so in right now.
