Left: Lucy from Dracula. Right: Ruff by Junya Watanabe.
Ruffs! Why are they so intoxicatingly awesome? It’s just a ruffle of fabric on a drawstring, but whenever I see one, it still evokes an instant Pavlovian response. A ruff turns a person into a character: a creature that’s decadent, aristocratic, maybe even a little tragic. I marvel at ruffs the way I marvel at lush cake icing and delicate origami, and while there’s something very sensuous about the wrapping, ruffs also make people look very strong, armored, untouchable.
“Virginqueen” photo shoot by Viona.
In celebration of my tender relationship with ruffs, I present to you my favorite manifestations of these sumptuous adornments in fashion, photography, music and film. The list is by no means complete, so please feel free to chime with your own ruff finds! One of the images and some of the links below may not be SFW, but most are. The Romp through Ruffs begins with the work of photographer Tina Cassati:
Since we’re on the topic of consumerism, I’d like to extend my thanks to VonLivid for pointing us in the direction of AND_i jewelry by Austrian artist Andreas Eberharter. These subtle, quiet pieces are part exoskeletons of large robotic bugs and part those ardent trips to the hardware store for accessories in preparation for the next industrial disco outing.
While we’re waiting for the launch of the shop, check out some of my favorites after the jump, and browse the AND_i galleries for more of Andreas’ work. Turn on speakers for an appropriately crunchy soundtrack to your window shopping experience, brought to you by Viennese locals Afterwax.
The Muse. Photo by Viona, outfit and jewelry by Elisabeth.
Elisabeth and Viona Ielegems are two sisters from Belgium with an incredible talent for fashion and photography. Golden-haired gothic princess Viona is a world-famous alt photographer who appears in many of her own images, and her younger sister Elisabeth is a fashion designer who makes gorgeous necklaces, rings, earrings and other filigree items for your inner woodland fae. Together they collaborated on the following shoot for Elisabeth’s graduation project, a series of designs revolving around different feminine archetypes. Seen above is The Muse. Click on the titles below to see more:
Well, hello! While we’re all waiting for the next installment of What’s Zo Wearing to appear here on Coilhouse, I thought I’d treat you to some fashion tips coming from a real pro: Brenda Dickson, whose claim to fame is starring in the soap opera “The Young and the Restless”. If you watch this video, then you too can be beautiful, glamorous and stylish like her. So let’s “teleport” into her closet and take a look!
Feeling fab yet? Here’s Part 2, dubbed over with fucking Dada raunch genius by Deven Green. “I just tattooed this cat this morning. Look at the good I do. Get the hell out of here. I’m a pirate.”
Mister Christopher Bischoff has just reminded me that I’d been meaning to do a little feature on Necromance.
A long-time Angel City resident, i have the fortune and pleasure of living very close to this delightful shop [Now two shops, to be exact, as Necromance has expanded] and have been frequenting it since i was a wee lunchbox-toting spookling.
Owned by an exceptional and fashionable lady named Nancy, Necromance first opened its doors in New Orleans long ago and LA is very lucky to have it here today. The window displays are always brimming with eye candy – antique writing cabinets adorned with bones and dried flowers, candles beside aged porcelain dolls and taxidermied deer. You’ll be lured in by the faint trickle of 1920’s music, vintage glass, charts of mysterious anatomical regions and dim glare of strange medical devices alongside exotic beetles. Inside the shops’ incensed walls you’ll find a menagerie of…amazing stuff. It’s impossible to list all they offer here, but their online store will give you something of an overview.
It isn’t all collectibles and home decor, either. Victorian mourning jewelry, postcards, books and, yes, black toilet paper are some of the practical items Necromance offers. If you ever find yourself in Los Angeles i advise you march right over to Melrose Avenue and pay tribute to this gem. Until such time you can peruse and purchase online at Necromance.com
Paris-based 24-year-old photographer Andy Julia is a versatile artist whose commercial work has sincere gothic sensibilities, and whose gothic personal work creates an intimate vintage atmosphere. Andy became known in the alt world through his contributions to Elegy Magazine, and chats with Coilhouse about his first photoshoot, his new book, agency models vs. alt models and other interesting topics below:
Do you remember the first photo shoot you ever did?
Yes I remember perfectly. I was a 17 years old teenager who’d just discovered the sense of love. I began my first roll in shooting my girlfriend innocently. I was unconscious of what photography was, and felt really out of all material conditions…
This first roll had a very hard light, supplied by a simple bedside light. Her skin was wrapped in a piece of black satin, and her legs hidden behind beautiful stockings, she was wearing a black velvet men’s “Haut de forme” from the end of the 19th century…our bed was surrounded by mirrors. We just made only one roll this day, as the teacher asked to us at the Beaux Art school, to learn how to develop and to print photographical pictures. This roll changed my life forever, and I was not conscious of that.
