-as if the ubiquitous skinniness wasn't enough...what's UP with the overwhelming white-ness and blonde-ness of today's runways? (via the wall street journal) seriously! what happened to that (obviously short-lived) fashion runway/magazine trend some time ago for the quirky and offbeat, the "ethnic", and the diverse? is that a distant memory now, given up for gaggles of gaunt gals that look like ghosts? i think it's really gross, and feel like it veers far, far away from reality as we know it in 2008. beauty is not just the domain of the white, blonde skinny, and tall...that's so last century! anyone care to venture as to why this particular look is the current look du jour? what does it say about where we are right now fashion-wise, and culture-wise? -real tattoos, in my opinion, can be incredibly sexy, and contain some powerful and personal imagery. they really become one with a person and their personality, on many levels. i really love and relate to that idea conceptually. but, yeah, some folks are too scared of the needles and others aren't able to commit to one design. tattoos have become a (trendy and temporary) fashion accessory: certain individuals are instead opting for being tattooed for a day, wild for a night (so says the new york times). i guess some like to only play with the concept of subversion.
-from the DUH! "tell-me-something-i-don't-know" insipid proclamation department: bland is banished - now it's primary colors (from the international herald tribune), concerning the fall 2008 runways and the trends therein. here's my proclimation, since so many are being bandied about now: bright colors aren't going anywhere...they are, i feel, the perfect antidote to cold temperatures and cold economic outlooks (which could impact the fashion industry quite harshly).
-i'm totally grooving on this hot trends post on etsy's storque about neons. YES. see previous link just above for my reasons why, so i don't have to repeat myself.
-counterfeiting runs in reverse?: did abaete rip off delia's? (from counterfeit chic)
-one of the reasons i look (primarily) for older/vintage pieces when thrifting is quality...generally, older things have better fabrication and better construction. is it just me (i know it isn't!), or has the quality of most clothing (designer or otherwise, especially the otherwise) increasingly gotten utter crap over the better part of the past decade? finding good stuff is becoming increasingly difficult...the thrifts are filled with overpriced, newer merchandise that was crap even at retail prices (i'm looking at you GOODWILL!). soon, there may not be anything good left at the local thrifts and resellers. how sad! outsapop brings up that exact issue with her recent post, recycling clothes: a dying business?. bonus: she links to an article from the seattle times about where our discards go once we're through with them. this subject never seems to die...and for good reason. said it before, will say it again: this ridiculous fast fashion cycle needs to END. people need to stop being slaves to goddamn trends. we (not to mention the earth?) would all be better off.