Chloe Sevigny is maybe the only celebrity-turned-designer that I find to be an actually good designer, and the only one who I believe actually does her own designs. Who else could create something so Sassy and cute and attitude-y and perfect in every way? I want everything from her new collection for Opening Ceremony but will probably end up saving for a pair of those platform cloggy shoes. They will be totally perfect as a gift to myself for entering high school and becoming the pair I wear every single day. Then when I’m old and can’t wear any shoes since I’ll have spent my entire youth in either heels or sole-tearing Doc Martens, I’ll pass my Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony platforms down to one of my grandchildren, then, after reconsideration, threaten them with an embarrassing Bar/Bat Mitzvah toast unless they give them back.
Ah, bad puns! Anyway, one of my favorite shows of New York last season was undoubtedly Y-3, Yohji Yamamoto’s line for Adidas. His namesake label has lots of draped, loose clothing, and the clothes for Y-3 usually carry the same free-spirited feel. This season was no exception – fun, colorful, everything I guess you would expect from Yohji Yamamoto when he’s making sportswear. It’s very interesting to see a conceptual designer’s idea of more wearable practicality, and to see one make their inspiration more literal – this time, soccer, which included goal net mesh dresses (a bright pink one was my favorite piece from the collection, along with white leather strappy wedges-I am team Nineties Minimalism, all the way) and a soccer net even dropped down from the ceiling for the finale…
All around, lots of fun! I am awful at sports but maybe I will consider joining a school team if it means an excuse to buy one of these dresses (which I’m sure are totally necessary for volleyball, right?):
After writing my last post on Alan Aldridge, I remembered that my dad showed me a few years ago a book of Beatles lyrics, illustrated. BEING THE GENIUS THAT I AM I realized it was the same dude! So I asked him to find the book, which he did, and could I keep it, which I can’t, and well then could I keep it on my bookshelf, which I can (basically I’ll wait until he forgets that he owns it and bring it to college with me.) It’s from around the time it first came out, too (1969-also the year my dad went to Woodstock-God, he is such a hippie!) so all the pages are brown and make the psychedelic-ness feel kind of warm and sweet.
I took lots of pictures but these are my favorites, and I think the ones that best show how broad his technique was in illustrating the songs-drawing, watercolors, clay, photography, and more. Most of the interpretations are very literal when they need to be; others add to the mystery of its corresponding lyrics, allowing the reader to draw their own interpretations from the combined views of the artist and the songwriters. I didn’t find any Aldridge’s work to take away from the songs.
(Oh, and may I highly suggest that you click the pictures and then click “All Sizes” on the Flickr page-TOTALLY worth it/necessary for many of these.)
The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics by Alan Aldridge.
It has a short intro in the beginning, which I truthfully haven’t read yet…
When I’m Sixty-Four
Only a Northern Song, Blackbird
These pages especially surprised me…the simple drawing with humor that is unlike Aldridge’s usual type of obscene, erotic kind. And the simple blackbird in watercolors.
I Will; Here, There, and Everywhere
E
We Can Work it Out; Nowhere Man
I’m Only Sleeping, Love me Do
**EXCELLENT HAND-MODELING RECOGNITION**
Ahem.
Baby, You’re a Rich Man; Yesterday
Small (and relevant!) fact about Yesterday: Before he had the lyrics for it, Paul McCartney referred to this song as “Scrambled Eggs” because he didn’t know what it would actually be about.
Day Tripper
Eleanor Rigby
With a Little Help From my Friends; Run for Your Life
John Lennon later said that he hated “Run for Your Life”…I really have to agree, it is the only Beatles song I really do hate and feel disgusted listening to.
A Who’s-who and What’s-what of Mega Illustration.
A
Hey Bulldog, It’s All Too Much, All Together Now, P.S. I Love You
She played Mayella Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird. Strange to come home to see that her death was confirmed by her husband around the same time we watched this movie in school. I wish this clip showed the rest of her scene because her bit was the most powerful part of the movie.
I just love this color combination and raw, natural-feeling textures mixed with quiet glitz.
Ryan McGinley’s moonmilk, jewels at Lanvin Spring 2010, leaping lizards at Alexander McQueen Spring 2010, Converge’s Axe to Fall cover art, Ruth Gordon in Rosemary’s Baby, stills from Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are.
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