For Mother’s Day, I’m giving you want you want most: a photo of me with a famous person! This shot of me with Robyn Hitchcock was taken at a very crowded press preview at Morrison Hotel Gallery on Prince Street in SoHo at least ten years ago, judging by the style of frames I’m wearing. I had met Robyn many years earlier at a Grant Lee Buffalo show in Seattle, and we share a mutual friend, so we were able to carry on a somewhat interesting conversation beyond me recognizing him as a famous person. The reason I have that sly look on my face is due to my friend Anne attempting to sneak a photo of us. I do not photograph so well in profile, so I wanted to turn my head and save the shot. Mission accomplished!
The Nazi occupation of Paris lasted from June 14, 1940 to August 25, 1944. The Nazi authorities initially planned to move the entire Paris fashion industry to the German Reich. Lucian Lelong, then head of the Chambre Syndicale, convinced them that the haute couture could only exist, “in Paris or . . . not at all.” Among those who could legally purchase Paris couture during the Occupation were some 20,000 French women (who had special couture ration cards) about 200 Germans, and citizens of neutral countries, such as Spain and Switzerland.
Exaggerated proportions and visual intricacy define this maximalist ensemble by Rei Kawakubo’sComme des Garçons. The elaborate coat and bodysuit, in various fabrics including cotton, wool, nylon, polyester and linen — and in assorted shades of pink, red and white, are part of the Spring 2018Multidimensional Graffiti collection, which appropriated the works 10 artists ranging from the 16th century to today. Continue reading Eye On Design: Multidimensional Graffiti Ensemble by Rei Kawakubo for Comme de Garçons→
By the 20th century, wool suits and coats were indispensable, practical elements of fashionable daywear for women. Double-faced wool, used here by designer Mila Schön for her Blue Coat (1968) is woven almost as two separate textiles, joined by a set of interwoven yarns, creating a thick, structural, spongy fabric. Continue reading Eye On Design: Mila Schön, Blue Double-Faced Wool Coat→
