(not so) random links

-i've been frequenting some sustainable/green-focused blogs in recent days, and i stumbled across this post by no impact man, the subject matter of which crosses paths with that which i discuss here on bits and bobbins (most of the time, anyway!): fashion, and the urge to create (in my case, primarily, that which adorns the body). he poses a pointed, of-the-moment question pointed at the designers, manufacturers, and makers of the world and the consuming culture at large in which they exist: "how can we reduce the use of resources without squashing the creative drive...? how can we not throw the baby out with the bath water?" -on that same or a related note, check out this article by environmental health perspectives, called waste couture: environmental impact of the clothing industry, that's been making the rounds on the internets lately.

-liisa-maria is the thinking woman's fashionista: she's a fantastically stylish finn with a covetably large marimekko clothing collection, who has a fine arts background, and is now after her PhD in cultural studies. i dare say her brain is one of her finest accessories! i interviewed her back in june 2007 for my remix(ers)_revealed series. she's started a new blog, entitled the suburban queen. it's quickly become one of my favorites, as she eschews the typical fashion-blogger fare, instead taking us for a journey down the fashion road less traveled: chatting about the crossroads of fashion and sustainability, championing quirky personal style, and upholding her mission to fill the uninitiated though interested in on some amazing local scandinavian creative talent that may not be well known outside of those fine countries. AND...she just posted about a marimekko coat i've been secretly coveting for some time now! fabulous.

-a quote i can relate to about fashion itself and the meaning of clothing and adornment, from the new york times style section article entitled admit it. you love it. it matters. (via final fashion):

“I hate it,” Miuccia Prada once remarked to me about fashion, in a conversation during which we mutually confessed to unease at being compelled by a subject so patently superficial.

"'Of course, I love it also,' Ms. Prada added, and her reason said a lot about why fashion is a subject no one should be ashamed to take seriously. “Even when people don’t have anything,” Ms. Prada said, “they have their bodies and their clothes.”

They have their identities, that is, assembled during the profound daily ritual of clothing oneself; they have, as Colette once remarked, their civilizing masks. And yet, despite its potential as a tool for analyzing culture, history, politics and creative expression; as a form of descriptive shorthand used through all of written history (including the Vedas, the Bible and the Koran); as a social delight, fashion is just as often used as a weapon, a club wielded by those who forget that we are saying something about ourselves every time we get dressed — not infrequently things that fail to convey the whole truth."

-remember the review i did of swede cilla ramnek's book, knitprovisation, some time ago? i love her work. apparently she has a blog (though it hasn't been updated in a dog's age), and is now designing textiles for IKEA! am i the only one who yearns to use IKEA's fabrics for clothing rather than interiors? so colorful and so graphic...just the way i like that which surrounds me, natch.

(not so) random links

as promised! -in recent days, i've been really into blogs or flickr photostreams that show a slice of everyday life: what people are eating, little vignettes from around their home, snaps from a person's daily travels. what might seem mundane to some, is rather fascinating to me. of course, the photographic skills and aesthetics of said bloggers are beyond upstanding and extremely well-honed, which makes all the difference. fine little thing, smosch, and cheap opulence are perfect examples of the type of blog of which i speak. all prove that inspiration is all around us, even in the little things...we just have to open our eyes and look. know of any other blogs like those? comment and tell me!

-an amazing quote from a recent post by queen michelle of fashion blog kingdom of style that i quite like and relate to (thinking back to when when i lived in/grew up the conservative, middle-class suburbs of florida):

"I've always been of the opinion that very often real style is in those people who don't have easy access to it. It's easy to be fashionable when you live in a city like Paris, Milan or London, where it's on your doorstep and you can absorb it no matter what your budget/age/class may be, but for me, many truly stylish people are those who have to hunt it out, create it, invent it and express it, even though that might mean they may look like an alien in their own surroundings. These people exist so much in their own heads and their creativity is genuine because the odds are stacked against them."

-when i can find my yarn again (hah!), i'd love to give this knitted swiss cheese scarf pattern by winnie of knitting escapism a go!

-making something (exceptional) out of nothing (i.e., treasure from trash) is some of the best kind of making there is, and the blog outsapop by finlander outi pyy proves it. check out her recent magical transformations: an organic/modern piece of wearable art in the form of a collar made of zippers, and a pair of shoes and a purse that have been deftly spray-painted to match. brilliant!

(not so) random links

i figure i'll make this a regular thing, as it's fun to curate links to amazingness and interestingness happening about the 'webs and beyond!

***

-canadian artist/printmaker jodi green has embarked upon an intriguing (to me!) MFA project: in an attempt to integrate her studio processes, clothing designs and her "everyday life," she's embarking on a project to dye and then print fabrics using printmaking processes such as woodcut, lithography, and etching, which she then turns into clothing that she will then wear as she goes about her daily business. note that the inks used to make said prints on her clothing break down over time, so the garments also change over time. and she mentions changing the garment via printing processes each time. talk about remixing one's clothing! the results of her efforts are stunning. a deeper look into jodi's wardrobe project may be found on her website. jodi's keeping a record of said clothing in her wardrobe project flickr set, and her blog. (bonus info for the fiber junkies and people will cash to blow: jodi's also an amazing knitter and has her own etsy shop.)

-some months ago, the author of the boat lullabies found a cosmetics case full of old photographs at a chicago-area flea market. the pictures are a poignant look into the life of one (rather fashionable) woman over the course of approximately 50 years, from toddler-hood on into her middle age. fascinating to me from the perspective that we are able to observe the incredibly beautiful and complex metamorphosis that each and every human (or really, every living thing) goes through over the course of a lifetime. we change so much in the interim between birth and death, but there remains a common thread of self-ness that remains in the physical and spiritual being of any given individual. relating to the primary subject matter of bits and bobbins as a blog, it's also a enthralling look at one woman's singular sense of style and life-long love affair with fashion/style. (bonus: the rest of the entries on the boat lullabies seem to feature interesting old photographs, if you're into that sort of thing. i know i am!)

-andrea zittel, the conceptual artist behind a-z 6 month uniforms (a project dealing with concepts revolving around the basic needs of working artists), has a new project, the smockshop. andrea designed a simple double wraparound garment. a passel of artists re-interpreted her design, each in their own unique way. said artists make money off these one-of-a-kind garments, many of whom are not yet self-sustaining via their regular artistic endeavors.

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