nsfw

Speaking of Mr. West, I will be the first and surely not the last to say I hate his new sound. I appreciate when artist wants to make a clear statement, and am so willing to believe in statements that might be ahead of their time, but what Kanye has so exceptionally done so far in his career is appropriate the genre conventions, aesthetics, and sounds of a non-hip-hop universe and make them his own that somehow still appeal to the contemporary hip-hop audience with the exception of the space he's venturing into for his latest album, "808s and Heartbreaks." "The Graduate" was the perfect balance between Kanye's interest in electro-house music and hip-hop street cred, a bold move for a hip-hop pop artist. His decision to record his new album entirely using Auto-Tune and singing, instead of rapping, on every track is a terrible one that shows his limitations as a vocalist, not something entirely required for the success of a rapper, but definitely for a balladeer. For an album that is supposed to be his emotional opus (his recent break-up album and the death of his mother have surely had an effect on him), it makes no sense that he chooses a device that makes a person sound like a robot, instead of emphasizing the emotions of disappointment, frustration, and loss through his actual voice. On top of that, his album listening party consisted of forty naked women in afro wigs courtesy of artist Vanessa Beecroft, a stunt and a misfire for his appreciation of mind-expanding contemporary art. Is it just me or is that the most poured on thick schlock of this artist's near asexuality? There usually seems to be a wink in his eye with his obsessive posting of hot girls on his blog, but this seems a bit extreme for a gathering of people like Michael Rappaport and Audrina Patridge. Let's not forget his latest video was an homage to "American Psycho." If he's truly channeling Patrick Bateman, then perhaps this will all be a nasty dream we'll soon forget.

batman returns

The Wall Street Journal is convinced Batman is a thinly veiled characterization of George W. Bush. The New York Times believes "The Dark Knight" takes itself too seriously, which in turn, is leading to a creative peak for the superhero movie genre. New York Magazine cantankerously responded to the "The Dark Knight"'s balance between popcorn entertainment and the coded philosophical, political, and psychological messages. Add to that the movie just made $400 million domestically in eighteen days. I guess this movie was bound to experience some sort of backlash. Director and co-writer of "The Dark Knight", Christopher Nolan, discussed some of the political themes of the film as a guest on The Film Programme. Nolan's aloofness about the film's political resonance makes one wonder if it's possible, or not, for mainstream art to avoid being inspired by the current state of affairs in the world. Maggie Gyllenhaal adds to the interview with her own thoughts on the new trend of weighty themes finding their way into big blockbusters.

Click here to listen.

summer madness

Another head spinning couple of weeks of fashion are behind us. Sigh. Milan and Paris and men's wear shows and the couture shows (too lazy to touch upon those, but I did love Lacroix's and Givenchy's) just blurred right into each other. I can't imagine actually being in the thick of it (actually, it's one of my eventual goals), but there were some interesting trends and shows along the way that really stood out amongst the glut. Shorts, loose shapes, pajama style dressing, and monochromatic looks (namely in day glo colors) were the general trends from the Milan and Paris shows. With men's wear it's important to note that men dress in a primarily conservative and simple way. Shirt, pants, suit, casual wear, and shoes are pretty much the bare bones of men's wear. That might sound like it's stifling to a creative mind, but working within that box can produce rich and exciting results. Here are my ten favorite shows that captured that essence of the tradition of men's wear but introduced something relatively inventive along the way:

1. Versace
2. Lanvin
3. Veronique Branquinho
4. Marni
5. Burberry Prorsum
6. Alexander McQueen
7. Maison Martin Margiela
8. Dries Van Noten
9. Prada
10. Junya Watanabe

To read more of my men's wear show coverage at the 212 Dressing Room blog, click here.

harsh times

I have mixed feelings about Wes Anderson's "The Darjeeling Limited" but it seems New York Observer critic Rex Reed caught this film on a bad day:

"With more style than substance, the story is so thin it evaporates like a puff from a hookah."

"Like Mr. Anderson’s previous duds, 'The Royal Tenenbaums' and 'Rushmore', it wants to be a comedy, shaking its butt at every historic concept that word implies and trying to make you care about its off-the-wall characters at the same time. Nothing wrong with that ambition, except that it is never remotely funny and the characters are as transparent as Saran Wrap. Mr. Anderson’s approach to filmmaking is from the same brain-dead school inhabited by Charlie Kaufman screenplays and the head-scratching direction of Paul Thomas Anderson, Spike Jonze and David O. Russell: Throw incoherent ingredients in the air, talk all of your Hollywood friends into joining the frolic and let the pieces fall all over the place with the camera turning."

"High time Mr. Anderson, 38, grew out of this childish phase and used his word processor to achieve some kind of script indicative of what you might call a maturity of vision."

Ouch. For more hatred click here.

balenciaga: in conclusion

Bitch, Please has made her rebuttal and it's as eloquent and intelligent as I expected it to be, but it made me think of how different men and women view fashion, and in a larger sense the cultural womb we all splish splash in. The best art is the art that divides and conquers thought and it's interesting that a parade of floral print dresses can stir a debate about money, sex, and power. What a perfect paradox that the mind of Nicolas Ghesquiere produced something so uniform and homogenized and yet everyone has a diversely varied reaction to its vivid and almost confrontational aesthetic. I'm curious how this total look will translate to the streets and its overall influence in terms of trends but I guess we'll have to wait until the season is back in bloom.

in defense: balenciaga spring/summer 2008

Although I declared Alber Elbaz's full on display of weightlessness and comfort for Lanvin the best of Paris, I was thinking in terms of clothes that express the perfect marriage between fantasy and reality. Those clothes can literally transport your way of thinking but also go with you in a literal sense. That's what I want out of clothes for myself as a man and I think women look undeniably sexy in as well. However, fashion, or Fashion with a capital F, wouldn't exist without those rare collections, or more specifically the presentations, that shoot at us like a driving and propulsive dart and dare us to rethink what we thought was possible. Nicolas Ghesquiere's Spring/Summer 08 collection for Balenciaga still stings in my mind and not for why most women can't wear it but the beauty of the execution and the relevant and prescient ideas imbued in each stitch. I think this was the most controversial and divisive collection of the season, more so than Marc Jacobs, because the grand standing theatrics and self-referential nods to celebritydom that Jacobs let hang over his collection are non-existent in Ghesquiere's collection. It's less coquettish and deconstructed in an obvious way where as there's a dangerous attitude in the clothes that seriously considers age, wearability, power, the future, optimism, and femininity in such wildly arresting ways that you can't help be bowled over by its genius.

Shape so it seems is the thread that agitates the most in the collection. The Pom-pom shoulders, the brisk hemlines, the hard-looking contours that make the models look stiff and unable to move, the emphasis on hips and bust, and all of the other fit and construction techniques Ghesquiere employs are not entirely meant to constrict and scream fuck off to any over size two, small breasted woman but it's a celebration of the form and its relationship to power in the modern world. The shoulders that jump off the figure reminded Ghesquiere's audience that women are just in control as their broad shouldered male counterparts. The Coke bottle silhouette is a welcomed respite to the current trend of sack and baby doll this that infantilize or shame women of their gorgeously natural curves. It's also achingly sensual in all of its close to the body, laced up purr. Ghesquiere wants us to keep thinking that shape is perhaps the most important factor of how or why people wear clothes. We want something to flatter or deemphasize or add, but what about a new shape that demands we think a little more into the future when the idea of luxury in relation to what we wear in the streets is no longer subjected to "wearable pieces." That's what I always find so fascinating in his point of view is his ability to look into the future but keep it contemporary and relevant. The notion of pants, top, and dress are arbitrary, so why not give them, and us, a new set of rules? There's more personality in a look that is less homogenized in its shape and form than the trend everyone is following. We'll go along with any new color, print, or material but to ask us to give up our shape is daunting and almost too authoritative. However, it keeps the idea of fashion going in that every season we can only see some variation on the skirt, blouse, pant, so why not give an exact point of view that is confident and unwavering in its proposition and a little thrilling in its exciting curiosity for newness and forward-thinking.

Perhaps Ghesquiere's greatest challenge will be the prints. The bold and beautiful floral prints that to me communicate an optimism about the world are fresh and alive. The world as we know it is full of shit and pigs but in that we can look at the truth and beauty in things and naturally, nature is a great reference point for an artist to expound upon. The world outside the window can be more attractive than some esoteric film reference or some tired homage to an ancient and influential designer. There have been rumblings about ageism attached to the idea of prints in that older women typically wear them, but would they wear a floral mini? This is a youthful and aggressive collection that shouldn't entirely alienate older women but it's hollow to think that older women prints prefer florals. There was a playfulness in those prints juxtaposed with the hard exterior of their couture inspired armor/outerwear. The pom pom accented shoulders or the mini-suits were harmless in their approach. This is a head on collision with florals and it's completely unashamed in its sweetness.

Ghesquiere has never not surprised or intrigued with his odd takes on futurism and luxury. This is the same man that envisioned $10,000 gold leggings that could have easily passed as costume from "Star Wars" (and that's a compliment). I like that he keeps forging forward so effortlessly and without regard for things that are safe and wearable. I'm not suggesting these clothes will look good on every woman, nor should they in their non-conformist shapes and prints, but you cannot deny Ghesquiere of his deft ability to incite and inspire us all.

*Check back for the rebuttal from Bitch, Please. In point/counterpoint style, the lovely scribe at Bitch, Please will reply with why she didn't like the collection. Take my side for now.