-the fashion industry and upscale designers whine and bitch and threaten suit when they are copied...and yet, they are so very often also guilty of copying other people's work themselves. sometimes rather blatantly. on that note, how the HELL is belgian designer martin margiela getting away with pretty much ripping off an iconic t-shirt silkscreen image almost exactly, and then charging $1395 for his version of said t-shirt? (via the la times) anyone else think that's pretty ridiculous, not to mention audacious? am i missing something? also...who is buying this t-shirt? aren't there better things to do with nearly $1400 in this day and age? just sayin'...
-those wardrobe_remix(ers)...they are such smarty-pants(es). they make a wardrobe_remix founder/mama hen so proud. *sheds tears* check out these deep questions they have been discussing over in the wardrobe_remix discussion forum of late: what makes your style distinct? and how would you start over? [if you somehow devastatingly lost your whole wardrobe?]
spill your thoughts on those deep questions here!
or, if you're so inclined, or join wardrobe_remix (if you haven't already!) and add your own thoughts to the aforementioned discussions, natch!
-as you might surmise, if you're a particularly astute reader, i'm not so much into discussing (or even wearing many of) the latest seasonal trends or regurgitating and picking apart the latest offerings in the way of mainstream designer wear or posting runway photos. i feel like that's usually best left to those who enjoy talking and digesting that sort of thing. instead, i find that i have more of a penchant for smart, high-level, conceptual discussion of all things fashion: fashion theory, fashion history, the business of fashion, how fashion and culture interact and influence one another, how real style really happens, and of course, how real (read: non-industry, non-famous) people dress and why they dress that way.
taking all that into account, either previously or now, you might guess that i am generally more interested in reading intelligent fashion blogs that concentrate on said subjects, and whose authors share at least some of my interests and ethos. sometimes i stumble across these smart blogs...and sometimes they find me. the latter is the case with threadbared, a fashion blog from the minds of "two clotheshorse academics who write and teach the politics of fashion and beauty"...one of their authors (mimi!) emailed me this morning to bring their blog, which focuses on said topics, to my attention. and hoo boy, i'm so happy she did. nevermore was a blog totally up my alley. thanks, threadbared!
prey tell: what are YOUR favorite *intelligent*, offbeat, and/or academic(!) fashion blogs? care to share? please, please, please?
thee quicke and dirtee:
-ever seen knitting maverick elizabeth zimmermann's february baby sweater? ever wished it came in big girl sizes? like, to fit a 'grown-ass woman'? well, wish no more: flint knits has designed an homage to said sweater, the february lady sweater! and it looks flipping amazing. the pattern is FREE. woo! if i can find the time sometime this lifetime, i want to knit one for me (and maybe a matching one for le bebe royal?).
-the summer 2008 issue of knitty is live. get knittin', kittens.
-i bought the latest issue of readymade just because i was obsessed the god's eyes on the cover! relatedly, design*sponge recently posted a tute on how to make them, here! you can't wear god's eyes...can you? :) maybe a teeny weenie one with thread and silver or gold "sticks" would make a cool necklace? yeah!! anyway, if nothing else, god's eyes are def. a lovely way to use up all the yarn you have left over from those other knitting and crochet projects...hmm!
-free people is running a bag design contest. check out the details on the contest rules and such-like here.
-swan diamond rose made a post this week that reminded me to mention zigzaggers...a cool blog i read about somewhere on the internets a while back. it's mission is to serve as a resource for those who own and buy used/old/vintage sewing machines. it's full of reviews and opinions on a myriad of machines. similarly, whether you're buying a used or new machine, it can't hurt to also check out the sewing machine reviews on patternreview.com.
-fan of knitty gritty on DIY, hosted by vickie howell? allegedly, there's some talk of canceling the show (can anyone confirm this?). not sure how much this will help, but apparently there's a petition to protest said cancelation and advocate for a better time slot for the show, here. probably wouldn't hurt to write a personal letter to the network, either, imo, if you really care.