1.08 // mod revival (again)

Mod - style from London in the 50’s and 60’s, US 60’s - was great while it lasted. Then we moved on, never looking back.

Or not.

In the late 70’s there was a “mod revival” : you saw people once again whizzing around on Vespas, their short hair not really blowing in the wind (though their fake eyelashes might be), their bright colours stopping traffic.

Let’s take a look at THEN, LATER THEN, and NOW, shall we?

THEN: 1950’s & 1960’s

Love this minidress - next time I’m thrifting, that’s one of my goals.

Streets like this in the 60’s - particularly the iconic Carnaby Street - were where the mod revolution truly began. Little boutiques with new designers popped up left and right, with nightclubs like The Scene, The Flamingo, and the Marquee squished between them. Amp was The Drug; however, it wasn’t made illegal in the UK until 1964. It was viewed as a positive stimulant rather than a dibilating drug like pot or heroin; young mods used it was a way to go clubbing all hours of the night. One newspaper reported “mobs of mods emerging from the club at 5 a.m. with dilated pupils.” Just to give you an idea of the lifestyle.

Celebrities and icons of the time, easy: Warhol, Edie Sedgwick, and (drumroll please!) Twiggy.

Edie, Warhol’s muse, became famous for her style as well as being incorporated into W’s work.

Love the leotard + pearl necklaces, add that to my “Looks to Try” list…

Twiggy: everybody’s favourite supermodel in the 60s. Make that the only supermodel in the 60s. But that doesn’t make her any less amazing. She is the one who singlehandedly brought about a new kind of model: lean, long, and lithe. And sticklike. And, of course, breathtakingly gorgeous.

Then, in 1979, it was back in full swing (ha ha… Swingin’ 60’s? Eh? Eh? *sigh*. Anyway…)

60’s od & punk rock bands were The Big Thing. There were tons of random little UK or UK-esque bands that would pop up, have their 15 minutes of fame, then sink back down into oblivion. Or, in the case of The Jam or Purple Heats (the code for amp, back in the day), they’d stick around for a while yet.

The Who’s Quadrophenia album-turned-film was very popular.

The Jam.

Standard mod punk-rock band of the 60s revival.

Smart suits, and in step.

MOD NOW: revival, version 2.0

On the runway:

Alessandro Dell’Acqua, Christian Dior, Chanel, McQueen.

Balenciaga, Chanel, Stella McCarteny. Eley Kishimoto.

Dior hat, Ana Sui Boot. Musn’t forget accessories!

Armand Basi // Fall 2008

Classic 60’s black&white. Trend Les Copains // Fall 2008

Christian Dior // Fall 2008

Emilio Pucci // Fall 2008

Another staple of the 60’s - the mod minidress. Aquascutum // Fall 2008.

Wow, this is a ridiculously long post. Hope you enjoyed it

Oh, our LDJ:

YSL // Spring 2006

ciao!

~ r

1.07 // Japanese street style: a world unto its own

While most of us look into our closets and see jeans, boots, sweaters, dresses, all that... it seems that the youth of Japan have got Hip & Cool nailed down, to a T. Where we have browns, greens, and greys, they have hot pink, turquoise, zebra stripes and Day-Glo orange.
And somehow, they pull it off with the same style & grace that Kate Moss pulls off... well, anything. How do they do it?

Any normal - well, non_japanese - person would look like an absolute clown trying to pull this off. But these two? Nah, no biggie - just another normal day. (Heck, you should see them when they dress up!)

Well there you have it. Dressed up. (For what? Anything in particular? We'll never know...)

I particularly like that photo - goth, yet chic & elegant. I love the middle outfit, especially the hat (of course!), but all 3 are spectacular.

A big thing over there is cosplay: dressing up and even acting like characters from manga, anime, comic books, and other East-Asian media. Gotta love how it turns out ~

(Notice the girl in the background too!)

Love the shoes on the right.

There are whole cosplay conventions, often associated with video games. Sort of like science fiction conventions here... but it'd be frowned upon to come dressed up as someone like Hitler. There, that's considered a great cosplay costume. (Cosplay = costume + play).

and our look du jour:

Twiggy. Of course.

Don't worry, I'll get to her pretty soon...

~ r

1.05 // Skye, Karlie, & Coco

Haha wow, sorry I haven’t posted in days… I’ve been busy. Thought I’d do a quick post on 3 of my models-of-the-moment (in between studying for bio, *groan*. I do wish it was still break, I could focus on fashion all I wanted… now it’s back to the daily grind. Not that I hate school, it’s just not… sitting at home with hot chocolate in nice soft flannel, browsing idly through blogs upon blogs upon blogs and tons of fashion sites, searching for just the right new look… But I digress).

First off, we have Skye Stracke. A newcomer to the modeling industry, the Australian has got her foot stuck in the fashion door after walking the spring Diane von Furstenberg, Emporio Armani, Missoni, Chanel, Christian Lacroix, and Nina Ricci shows in New York, Milan, and Paris. She has also appeared in Japanese and Australian Vogue , along with multiple other fashion publications (Numero, WWD).

Russian Vogue

Next, we have Karlie Kloss, our home-grown (aka American) rising star. This season alone, she walked over - I’ve lost the site, but I’m quite sure it was around 70 shows this season, including opening & closing headline shows such as Marc by Marc, Chloe, and Obedient Sons and Daughters in New York and Paris. She’s been in numerous prestigious publications - the likes of Vogues worldwide, Numero, W, Muse, and RUSSH - since the beginning of her career. And at only 16, she’s a stunner.

Valentino // Spring 2009 RTW

K on the runway, using her famous “death stare” walk

And of course, there’s Coco - who, according to herself, “you’d have to be pretty fashion-savvy if you know who I am” (American Vogue, January). With her stunning eyes and strong facial features, there’s no denying that Coco Rocha is one of today’s supermodels.

Getting a makeup touchup for an Elle YSL ad

She’s gone redhead now, have you heard? It was in January’s US Vogue…

look du jour

Model Elsa Sylvan backstage at Anna Sui

Ciao!

~r