maghagging: bazaar february 2010

today i was looking through this month's bazaar with cover star miley cyrus wearing what appears to be the most hideous dress every created. i won't insult your time or eyeballs with the image, but it did not put me in high spirits (as is usual for me when i first pop open a new glossy).

alas, a gem was found amongst the teen starlet worship and "smart shopping under $500" rubbish. i give you a refreshingly stylish editorial inspired by mixed prints and textures, two elements that have me ready for spring already.

maghagging: that wasn't there before!

some designers have finally decided to jump on the advertising bandwagon, and here are previews of the ads from once-adless designers who have gone the way of their predecessors and peers:

rodarte:

fall 2008, anthem


spring 2009, bazaar

i'm so pleased to see the mulleavy sisters attempting to market their clothing through advertising. really, though, it's not necessary - the clothing speaks for itself.

zac posen:

spring 2009, fanzine137

i thought it'd be a cold day in hell when zac posen started to advertise his collection in a magazine. although, there are explanations for everything: technically it's spring, but still feels like winter, and our economic climate is basically hell (or headed in that direction). so, never mind, i guess it all makes sense, doesn't it?

maghagging: rick owens in details

the lovely, honest and extremely built rick owens recently talked to details magazine about his love affair with black, the gym and style extremities. reading this article, i find him to be incredibly charming, but not in a way that makes your stomach churn. maybe it's because all of his "rules of style" make so much sense to me, but this guy seems like someone to be revered and respected.

1. I'm not good at subtlety. If you're not going to be discreet and quiet, then just go all the way and have the balls to shave off your eyebrows, bleach your hair, and put on some big bracelets.

2. Working out is modern couture. No outfit is going to make you look or feel as good as having a fit body. Buy less clothing and go to the gym instead.

3. I've lived in Paris for six years, and I'm sorry to say that the Ugly American syndrome still exists. Sometimes you just want to say "Stop destroying the landscape with your outfit." Still, from a design standpoint, I'm tempted to redo the fanny pack. I look at it as a challenge—it's something to react against.

4. When a suit gets middle-of-the-road it kind of loses me—it has to be sharp and classic and almost forties.

5. Hair and shoes say it all. Everything in between is forgivable as long as you keep it simple. Trying to talk with your clothes is passive-aggressive.

6. There's something a little too chatterboxy about color. Right now I want black, for its sharpness and punctuation.

7. Jean-Michel Frank, the thirties interior and furniture designer, supposedly had 40 identical double-breasted gray flannel suits. He knew himself and is a wonderful example of restraint and extravagance.

8. I hate rings and bracelets on men. I'm not a fan of man bags, or girl bags either—or even sunglasses. I don't like fussy accessories. Isn't it more chic to be free? Every jacket I make has interior pockets big enough to store a book and a sandwich and a passport.

9. With layering, sometimes the more the better. When you layer a lot of black you're like a walking Louise Nevelson sculpture, and that's pretty attractive. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is also one of the most attractive things you can do.

10. It's funny—whenever someone talks about rules, I just want to break them. I recoil from the whole idea of rules.

this interview gives excellent insight into the personal connection owens has with his collections. masculinity reigns supreme once more!

maghagging: speaking of karl lagerfeld...

...his interview in march's bazaar came off as atrociously self-aggrandizing.

in the interview, random and seemingly non-existent women write in with their fashion dilemmas, and karl, being all-knowing and, consequently, the only person who can really understand you, answers their question.

here are some of my absolute favorites:

HB: With distressed elbows, white T-shirts, and acid-washed jeans all the rage, I am paranoid that my friends will think I have gone to the poorhouse. What impression will I make? Will my friends judge me?

KL: The T-shirt can be impeccable, and the jeans, too. (The body has to be impeccable as well — that helps a lot.) If it's not, buy small sizes and less food. Acid-washed jeans are not new — they existed at the same time as wild shopping did. To reinvent a newly impeccable you in the most modest of outfits, don't skip on makeup, and be sure to have flawless skin and hair. That will have more impact than expensive clothes. And, by the way, what kind of friends do you have? Dress for yourself and the man you love (if there is one). Women dressing to impress other women — forget about that. It's a very bad way of thinking.

as if dressing for other women is wildly inappropriate compared to dressing for some guy your sleeping around with (because i have a hard time believing his definition of "love" is what it should be). dressing for yourself will always make you feel better about yourself hands-down than any half-assed validation from a clueless significant other.

HB: I would love to sport a pair of extra-high sandals to a party, but will I be able to walk in them after a couple of drinks? Some of the models on the runways couldn't stay on their feet!

KL: Please, your question is childish. Don't drink when you wear stilettos. I can't advise you to get drunk at home to find out if you would be able to walk in them at a party. Plus, you aren't on the runway. Life should not be a fashion show. Only the girls in the shows have to wear unfinished prototypes.

oh karl, why so defensive? why produce heels in the first place if you can't wear them to a party that you will inevitably get trashed at? this question may be a little immature, but your answer was just plain hypocritical.

HB: In the '80s, I could pull off a micro-miniskirt, sheer hose, and shoulder pads without a worry. Now that the silhouette is back, I am compulsive about getting my figure flawless once again. Is this look a fleeting trend or is it here to stay?

KL: This look is not back for people who wore it when it was new. And why did you let your "flawless figure" go? Good excuse, but it explains your need to hide behind shopping trophies. Get that famous figure back, but forget about looks from 25 years ago. Don't touch them — there are enough new and different looks in fashion for your "flawless figure" when it returns, and I hope it's soon. These are fleeting trends, like all retro looks. Explore what's next in fashion.

first of all, he used to be a bit of a chubbster himself. i don't blame him, when you get older, it's difficult to maintain a good physique. so why the rudeness? and also, how does being large at all coincide with a need to mindlessly follow trends? if anything, a larger person who knows how to dress will go for more classic fits, like the a-line or a belted trench coat. come on now!

don't get me wrong, not everything he says is vile. he gives some pretty good advice (as he should!) but says it in a way that is so unbelievably elitist it gives me a headache. then again, mr. lagerfeld has never professed to be a man for the bourgeoisie.

read the rest of the mess here.

maghagging: v spring 2009

here are some highlights from the incredible (and incredibly thick) v magazine spring 2009 issue. great photographers (mario testino, sølve sundsbø, richard avedon), models (natalia vodianova makes a resurgence!) and designers (icluding the iconographic ad campaign by comme des garçons in the 80's). i'm pretty sure this issue's 80's-conscious theme is intended to coincide with all the 80's madness we saw on the runway this spring, which translated into fall quite seamlessly, as marc jacobs and alexander mcqueen have proven to us.

pick it up on newsstands, it's worth the $8.50, or just see the whole thing online for zilch.

a small timeline of timeless and avant-garde lbd's.

new designers to watch (you can view some of their collections on this very blog).