It’s been a little bit over a week since the launch of this site, and I want to thank everyone for their comments and support thusfar. I want to extend a special thanks to everyone who’s suggested a link – we’ve discovered so much interesting new stuff thanks to all of you! There are a lot of submissions to go through, and tonight I’m going to drop this gem: designer Gareth Pugh, submitted by Alysa.
From Wikipedia: Pugh’s collections are autobiographical rather than referential, and draw inspiration from Britain’s extreme club scene. Pugh’s trademark is his experimentation with form and volume. He often uses “nonsensically shaped, wearable sculptures” to “distort the human body almost beyond recognition.” Elements in his designs include PVC inflated into voluminous coats, black and white patchwork squares, Perspex discs linked like chain mail, and shiny latex masks and leggings; he has used materials including mink, parachute silk, foam footballs, afro-weave synthetic hair, and electrically charged plastic in his clothing. Pugh describes his designs as being “about the struggle between lightness and darkness, like Nancy Kerrigan versus Tonya Harding.”
The brilliant songwriter was fond of slathering himself in various forms of goop and leaping into his audiences, as well as “playing instruments with his head”, but apparently the world just wasn’t ready for that sort of thing back in 1982. Despite being a huge influence on later luminaries of the gothic/industrial movement, Fad Gadget remains relatively obscure.
While this may not be a corset I would choose for her, this is exactly the sort of lady that needs to wear more corsets.
I can’t help but feel almost a little dirty looking at her, invasive – as if I’d found a trunk of old boudoir photos in someone’s room. That’s what makes this so great – her refined face and hair allude to a privileged matron; equestrian socialite by day, secret fetishist by night.
You’ve discarded your crushed velvets. You’ve cast aside your zippered, D-ringed, and safety-pinned garments and long for something new. Where do you go from here? You require sophistication. You want drama without the bell sleeves. We understand.
Allow us to suggest you closely examine the work of Rick Owens. While his designs are not exactly pocket-book friendly, they do wonders for the imagination. Even if you won’t shell out for his stuff, you’ll certainly learn a thing or two about layering, proportion and structure. No matter how odd a garment, his tailoring is spot-on every time, flattering to most bodies, and, above all, painfully hot. This is style, damn it.
Cheeky monkey Emily Rishea submits her fashion label, Artifice Clothing, through our submit form: “hey why not, I feel shameless,” she writes. Okay, we’ll bite! Artifice does a great job with all the classics and invents some new ones, such as these Victoria’s-Secret-meets-the-Rocketeer light-up mechanical wings. The range also has bit of a sense of humor, as can be seen in this Bunny Lolita ensemble, which the site describes as “terrifying”. But my absolute favorite item on the site has to be this Cybertek Collar, which makes you look like a Dr. Who villain from the Tom Baker era. In an era of Victorian future, the one person who rocks up wearing this as part of an outfit inspired by bad 1970s sci-fi tech will be the envy of the tea party indeed.
Remember when people in the New York goth scene dressed like this? No? Okay, me neither. I missed out on the glory days of the New York Scene as well, and I have these paintings by Steven Assael to rub it in. I don’t know if it was truly as magical and mysterious as his paintings make it seem, but I do know that the people in them are real; here’s a picture of goth club legend Johanna Constantine, looking every inch as amazing in real life as in the painting above.The painting above is part of a sculpture called At Mother (Mother was an actual club in New York), which has the people above standing like guardians at a set of double doors. The doors of the sculpture (which can be seen after the jump) open to reveal the painting below:
Posted by Nadya Lev on October 13th, 2007
Filed under Art, Fashion, Goth | Comments Off on Steven Assael: Classic Portraits of a Scene
Steve Pyke is an English photographer who covered the early cyberpunk scene. Pyke writes, “Cyberpunks, a small subculture, influenced by the work of the author William Gibson and particularly the film Bladerunner, existed in London in the early 1990s. I became interested and photographed a series of about fifty portraits in my studio over a short period.” Here’s a link to his image gallery, which features 16 portraits. I love his clean, streamlined, almost anthropological portraits of this small sub-genre. There’s something really charming about this original incarnation of the cyber aesthetic.
One thing I found really interesting about this series that almost half the people in the pictures have some sort of lenses concealing their eyes. This makes sense, because mirrorshades were one of the strongest symbols of cyberpunk writing from the late 80s and early 90s, starting with Molly in Neuromancer. This is why everyone in The Matrix also wears mirrored shades as an homage.
In addition to his fashion designs and his epic weight loss, remedy Karl Lagerfeld is also known for his fashion photography. The above is from Vogue Germany October 2007.
The Story: “Wellen”
Photografed by Karl Lagerfeld
Fashion Editor: Christiane Arp
Models: Claudia Schiffer and others
Men! At a loss about where to turn for l33t style tips, discussion and more with like-minded humans? Wipe your tears with your finest Naoto kerchief, for the day your fashions woes end is here!
I was recently introduced to StyleZeigeist.com by a friend whose name i haven’t stopped cursing since for getting me addicted. Though it’s predominantly male-populated, I’ve been cruising the SZ forums, shocked, impressed and curious. The users appear to be a cluster of painfully well-dressed and well-informed persons, mostly male, sharing tips, photos and designer news, with minimal snippiness and hair-pulling [for the most part]. Though much of what’s discussed here may not suit most wallets or reason, you’re sure to get inspired. I highly recommend this site to newbs and seasoned fashionistas alike.
A few member looks below. If you’re one of the gentlemen in these photos and would like to be credited, let me know.
Posted by Zoetica Ebb on September 6th, 2007
Filed under Fashion | Comments (3)
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.
