Wearable Wunderkammer

According to the MOMA catalog description, "Wunderkammern, or cabinets of curiosities, arose in mid-sixteenth-century Europe as repositories for all manner of wondrous and exotic objects. In essence these collections—combining specimens, diagrams, and illustrations from many disciplines; marking the intersection of science and superstition; and drawing on natural, manmade, and artificial worlds—can be seen as the precursors to museums" (http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/). With reprints of popular books like Sebus' Natural Cabinet of Curiosities making such an impression in the design world over the past several years, the metaphorical cabinet has open and more and more people are curious to peek inside...

The MOMA's new exhibit, "Wunderkammer: A Century of Curiosities," features a range of artists whose work in some way explores the idea of a cabinet of curiosities. Artists include: Hans Bellmer, Peter Blake, Louise Bourgeois, Max Ernst, and Damien Hirst -- each creepy and cool in the best of ways. In expectation of my trip to New York this month and the new exhibit at the MOMA, I did some searching on Etsy for cabinet-of-curiosity-inspired jewelry to satisfy the slightly macabre side of my personality:




Top left: (username) purevile -- Post-Apocalyptic-Victorian accessories --Antler necklace
Top right: (username) OctopusMe -- Jewelry made from real octopus -- Sucker ring
Middle left: (username) Metalsugar -- Deliciously Original Jewelry and Custom Designs -- Cicada ring
Middle right: (username) willworkforbrains --Creepy crawlies and little oddities -- Heart necklace
Bottom left -- (username) aminyitray -- Victorian-insired items -- Sterling silver seaweed necklace
Bottom right -- (username) rivkasmom -- Steampunk jewelry -- Art Nouveau ring

Bust Magazine Pays Homage to Twin Peaks Style

The boyfriend and I have been gorging ourselves on Twin Peaks episodes over the past few weeks and I am firmly convinced that David Lynch's sexy, moody, quirky show is one of the best things to have ever graced network television. In one of those bizarre occurrences of synchronicity, I discover Bust Magazine's new Aug/Sep issue features a fashion-spread devoted to Twin Peaks at the very moment I am pondering the perfection of Audrey's high-waisted plaid skirt and black-and-white saddle oxfords (see previous post for reference to my purchase of similar black and white lovelies). The show has aged quite well, and the makeup, hair, and wardrobe have an early-90's-meets-the-50's vibe. Sherilyn Fenn (who plays Audrey) and Lara Flynn Boyle (who plays Donna) are both amazing to look at, and Kyle MacLachlan is a dapper, loveable, dark-haired god.

I am so thrilled Bust did this spread -- they are one of the most interesting/provocative/thoughtful/progressive magazines out there as far as I'm concerned, and no one could have done it better. Here is a sneak peak:






BTW, the Aug-Sep issue of Bust is all-around great -- it features several of my favorite style bloggers, including Sally Jane Vintage and Francesca from The Snail and the Cyclops. Check it out!

Run, Don't Walk, to Target... for Oxfords

I am just coming down from an online-buying high that caught me off guard... I was checking on the Target website to see if the new Richard Chai Go International line was on sale yet (there is a black and white tank that I want), and I clicked on the new fall shoes just for the heck of it. Lo and Behold, there are three styles of Oxfords almost identical to ones on my Back-to-School-Must-Buy-List, but for much, much cheaper than I was expecting to pay (Urban Outfitters, ahem). They are on super-sale...seriously...$17.99, $8.99, and $9.99, respectively.

Victoria's Secret Does Vintage?

I'm Always a Sucker for "Vintage-Inspired": I just received a Victoria's Secret catalog addressed to the old tenant (I love that!) and was surprised to see they are going for a new all-around look in their Fall preview collection. The concept and clothes actually caught my eye. In the past, Victoria's Secret has been where I purchase my unmentionables...and not much else. Their clothes always struck me as a bit too I'm-trying-really-hard-to-look-sexy, and that's not really my bag. This new collection is going for a Great Gatsby, Art Deco-inspired look, and some of the pieces are very feminine and lovely. The two particular heel styles below really made me smile -- turquoise satin and pumpkin orange Oxfords. The tops and dresses have interesting little details -- ruffles, layers, sequins, ombre sashes, etc. This stuff could really work for those girly moments...don't you think?


Pleated Bra Top ($88); Multi-strap platform sandal ($78); Silk dress ($118).


Silk tiered babydoll top ($58); Peep-toe oxford ($70); Merino wool embellished tunic sweater ($188).

She's a Dandy, Pt. 2

Here are some practical, fun ways I've found to play around with "menswear." Basically, with a combination of various hats, ties, scarves, and jackets/vests, it's easy to create a look in combination with other basic wardrobe items -- leaving room to make the ensemble as masculine or as feminine as I like. My versions always tend to have a bit of the 70's Patti Smith/Diane Keaton feel to them -- I'm not exactly an elegant Left-Bank-Parisian-Dandy like Louise and Romaine (from Pt. 1), but more of a casual, poor-grad-student-dandy.

"Thank You Sir, May I Have Another?" Dandy:

Hat -gift
Blazer - thrift store
Striped shirt - Old Navy
Tie - vintage
Skirt - Gap
Tights - Target
Shoes - Vintage

"Because the Night Belongs to Lovers" Dandy:

Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters
Tuxedo shirt - thrift store
Tie - H&M
Vest - American Apparel
Pleather leggings - American Apparel
Grey ankle boots - Payless
Adorable black pug named Olive -- farm in Kansas

"Come, Watson, Come, the Game is Afoot" Dandy:

Fedora - Target
Tuxedo Shirt - thrift store
Silk Scarf - gift
Silk-blend slacks - Vera Wang collection for Kohl's
Red-tipped suede platforms - Nine West

She's a Dandy (Pt. I)

Masculine/Feminine: I never belittle the fact that there is still much to be accomplished when it comes to improving gender equality. However, as a person who always tries to see the proverbial glass of life half-full, I often muse over the things that make being a girl seem...well, a whole heck of a lot better than being a guy. One of those things is, of course, fashion. We simply have more choice, more freedom, and generally more encouragement to be creative than men do. I feel grateful that society no longer makes me choose according to assigned gender roles, but rather that I can be an amalgamation of traits that have long been considered either masculine or feminine. Speaking of having the best of both worlds, I've always appreciated a bit of fashion-gender-bending. I find it particularly interesting that ladies seem to be able to take traditional male clothing and accessories and wear them with more style and panache than many of their gentleman counterparts. The famous song lyrics from Annie Get Your Gun come to mind: "Anything you can do, I can do better..."

(The image above left is Radclyffe Hall, lover of men's suits ...and author of the amazing novel, Well of Loneliness, published 1926).

Portrait of a Lady: This picture of the lovely Louise (below, right; from her blog Pandora) reminds me of early 20th century artist Romaine Brooks' self-portrait (1923). Brooks, a lesbian writer and artist during the early part of the 20th century painted portraits of herself and her fashionable friends and acquaintances dressed in men's attire. Like Brooks, many talented female/lesbian/avant-garde artists (particularly in Paris' Left Bank region) began co-opting dandy fashion for themselves. Thanks in part to these talented and provocative women, items such as men's hats, ties, ascots, collared shirts, riding pants, etc. began to slowly trickle into women's mainstream fashion... and continue to do so. Louise creates a sort of Victorian femme fatale with her version of the top hat (view her blog for the full outfit).




(left) Romaine Brooks, Self-Portrait, (1923); (right) Photo originally downloaded by pandora-pandora. blogpsot.com.

Warming up to Menswear: There is something a little seductive about a lady donning menswear, but let's face it, it's damn comfortable too. As I've said before, comfort is at the top of my priority list these days. It wasn't until the past few years, however, that I've actually felt comfortable playing with more androgynous clothing. Hats are a must for me these days, and I've recently warmed up to collared-button-ups (I was traumatized by private school uniforms, so it has taken me a while to recover). I'm also obsessed with Oxfords...but that's a subject fit for an entire post. I think as I've grown older, I've become more comfortable with playing outside of the confines of typically "feminine" clothing, and I like the idea of putting my own touches to menswear and experimenting with the options. I'd love a vintage top hat like Louise's, but they run several hundred dollars on Ebay...gulp. Oh well, I'll have to stick to my cheapie fedoras. Perhaps tomorrow I will play dress-up and see what dandy outfits I can come up with...and snap some photos?


More of Brooks' portraits:

Both by Romaine Brooks. (Left) Una, Lady Troubridge (1924). Peter, A Young English Girl (1923-1924).

Hats off to these ladies:

Vintage ladies donning menswear. Images from flickr.com.