Teddy Scares
FACT: I want to wear this thing and unsuspectingly roll into a day care’s nap time and see what happens. Would the kids love me or fear me?!
The Teddy Jacket was designed by Sebastian Errazuriz. After looking at this… mound of cuteness again (on around Errazuriz’s website) I realized that this isn’t his first readymade fashion piece. He also has a crazy zipper dress (that was floating around the internet earlier this summer) and a sweet dress and purse set made entirely of white gloves.
Each of his fashion pieces has an interesting idea behind it and a blunt, usually funny, commentary. I like it because there is a distinct theme yet he doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously. He’s so quirky! I think The Teddy Jacket is a tongue-in-cheek commentary about wearing fur, but comes off as more humorous than anything. Perhaps that’s the point?
But… this jacket. What can I say? Take a moment and really look at it. Theme aside, is this not the most hilarious/ awesome/ absurd piece of actual outdoor couture you’ve ever seen? As wacky as it is, it’s not nearly as trippy as Lady Gaga’s Kermit the Frog dress– but it is equally as silly. In my mind, I imagine Sebastian to be a Harry Potter look-a-like getting a cauldron and carefully placing children’s toys, a sewing kit, Teddy Grahams and a bomber jacket inside.. and poof!: something awesome. Go Sebastian!
King of Jeans
Photo by flickr user stellaoella
King of Jeans, according to whoever Philebrity’s unsourced “rumor mill” is, may be closing. Sad face.
If you’re not familiar, King of Jeans is an clothing store down in the Passyunk East neighborhood that always seems a little surprised to notice that the block is now full of people in tight pants; it’s notable for having one of the most bizarre, Patrick Nagel-ass sign I’ve seen outside a West Philly salon. It is also the namesake of Philly band Pissed Jeans’ album “King of Jeans.”
There is a quote from a 2008 South Philly Review story on a new boutique on Passyunk East that would suggest the store is suffering in the economy:
Issac, a manager at King of Jeans at 1843 Passyunk Ave., who did not want to give his last name, said staying open is a great idea in theory, but in his experience, it just doesn’t work.
“I tried later hours and it hadn’t really been working,” he said. ‘We’re in a recession where people have a limited amount of funds. I wish them luck because anything that works will benefit all of us. It’s better to have a store than an empty store. Maybe they could start a trend.”
We called King of Jeans for comment but it rang twenty times at noon on a Wednesday and we gave up. Not a good sign?
Philly Fashion Week: Connect the Dots
Frankly, I haven’t been super psyched about covering the new, much-hyped Philly Fashion Week because of stuff like this, which Phashionista puts very well:
We have to admit, we were a little surprised to learn about the money part since typical “Fashion Weeks” are a free, invite-only event for media, retailers and fashion influencers, but in Philly, the idea is to “invite residents and visitors to celebrate the vibrant fashion, food, and arts and culture scene in Philadelphia,” said Kristie Bergey, executive director of PFW.
“Student” One-Day Passes are $35 each, with 3-Day Passes, $100, “Red Carpet” (though they don’t tell us what this means or includes) One-Day Passes are $75 each with a 3-Day being $150. And they also offer “VIP” tickets starting at a staggering $1500.
On the one hand, it does seem a little blatantly “give me money!” even for fashion; on the other hand, it is the first time an adequately funded group of people look like they might get this thing off the ground, so I feel like I should be supportive.
On the other other hand, more than half of the designers (not counting the student shows from Moore, the Art Institute and Philadelphia University, which are scheduled earlier in the evenings) aren’t even from Philly. But if they’re from out of town, what brings them all to Philadelphia Fashion Week?
Let’s break it down by night and see if we can’t find a common thread:
THURSDAY
DESIGNER: Brooklyn Royalty
BASED IN: Williamsburg
DOES: What appears to be mostly screenprinted t-shirt-type streetwear for men and women
PHILLY CONNECTION: Yes! From their About page:
Though always a Brooklynite at heart, brand director and founder Bob Bland is delighted to have recently purchased a new home in West Philadelphia. A longtime fan of Philly, she has scouted everywhere from Northern Liberties to Clark Park for several years, and is looking forward to moving her garment production and printing operations to the City of Brotherly Love. In her spare time, Bob also designs for another Philadelphia favorite, independent menswear label Duke & Winston.
Another connection: their stuff is sold at Philly boutique Matthew Izzo, at 151 N. 3rd St.
ALSO: Wait, didn’t they already show their Spring 2010 collection? In Brooklyn?
DESIGNER: Wrath Arcane
BASED IN: Cleveland
DOES: Men’s streetwear
PHILLY CONNECTION: Just had trunk show at Matthew Izzo, otherwise not obvious
ALSO: We like.
DESIGNER: Love Brigade
BASED IN: Williamsburg
DOES: Men’s and women’s streetwear
PHILLY CONNECTION: Line available at Matthew Izzo, Dave P played the afterparty for their Spring 2010 collection.
ALSO: OK, so they also showed in Brooklyn already.
DESIGNER: Palmieri Jeans
BASED IN: Philly! In Germantown, near the Awbury Arboretum
DOES: Men’s and women’s jeans
ALSO: Who doesn’t love a good Swarkovski crystal, although I am wondering how comfortable some of these are to sit in.
DESIGNER: Delicious Corsets
BASED IN: Philly! Storefront in the Piazza
DOES: RTW and custom corsets
ALSO: Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but if you poke around on Delicious’ website long enough you’re going to happen upon some semi-nude pictures and BDSM terminology that may set off your workplace’s “internet porn!” alarms. So visit with caution if you’re at work.
DESIGNER: Kill City
BASED IN: L.A.
PHILLY CONNECTION: Doesn’t list Philly on its listing of the places it’s sold (those being, nonspecifically, Amsterdamn Antwerpen Barcelona China – Towns Florence LA London NYC Paris Roadtrip Rockshow Silverlake Tokyo Vegas Venice), but it is sold at Matthew Izzo… wait, I’m starting to see a pattern.
Anybody else find it a little off-putting that every single out-of-town designer on the first night has a connection to Matthew Izzo but no other boutiques (as far as I can tell, I looked) in Philadelphia? What say you, Philadelphia Fashion Week?
“Philadelphia Fashion Week is committed to supporting designers sold in our city,” said Michael Anderer, creative director of Philadelphia Fashion Week, partner of CMK Entertainment and head buyer for Matthew Izzo. “There will be runway shows of local designers like Commonwealth Proper, but because we wanted this event to be accessible for everyone—designers and guests—we opened up the criteria to any designer based or sold in our city.”
Sold in our city? Or sold at his store?
OK, I guess since Anderer is the sole creative director of this thing, he may have tapped his business contacts to wrangle up three nights’ worth of shows, what with this being the first year and all. But if you’re going to promote your event as a big local thing and a legit Fashion Week, you probably should keep an eye on making it an opportunity for local designers to show the world what they do (kind of the point of a Fashion Week) rather than an expensive party celebrating your boutique’s selections.
Eh, whatever. I’ll do the rundowns of Friday and Saturday nights tomorrow, and perhaps their lineups will be a bit more exciting/local, but for now I assume you all have attention spans. Sorry I’m such a Negative Nancy, but I may have mentioned that PR annoys the hell out of me.
Test-drive: style iPhone apps
I’m usually pretty sedentary about getting new apps for my iPhone; I’ll forget about it for a couple of months at a time, then be totally astonished at the amount of apps I’d never heard of that are instant “How did I live without this?” classics (having the AP Stylebook be searchable offline is the greatest thing in the world, as is having the answer to every “What the hell is that song, again?” question).
I realized, though, that all my apps were either Sudoku or completely utilitarian, and that I hadn’t even searched through the fashion/style genre. And so, I give you six style-related iPhone applications I tried out, which ranged from the stupid to the seriously useful, so you don’t have to:
APP: iStylist Makeover
COST: $.99
THE GIST: You either take a photo of yourself or use one already on your iPhone, crop your head into a neck-and-body silhouette, and then plop various celebrity hairstyles, hats, glasses and blush colors onto yourself to see how you’d look as Bai Ling or a mourner at the Michael Jackson funeral.
WHAT COULD USE A 2.0: Oh god, this is really terrible. They don’t even make sure the hairstyles they supply fit the weird face shape you have to try to cram yourself into; a bunch of them are clearly from photos in which the celebrity was turned slightly to the side. It appears you can download even more hairstyles in upgrade packs, but good god, I’m already pretty done with this.
ACTUALLY USEFUL?: No, maybe if you’re at a bar
OVERALL: Why is the worst one the only one that’s not free?
Apps that were actually useful, after the jump…
TWITTERPOLL: Let’s try that again.
So, you may have noticed we didn’t have a TWITTERPOLL last week. What’s up with that, right?!
Well, we posed this question last week, but I don’t feel it got the tweeting TLC it deserves, so we’re going to try again:
I know you fine people of Philadelphia have more ideas for specialty stores! Heck, I can think of one everytime I have some weird need or craving (”Why doesn’t this city have delivery for movie rentals?!,” and “Why doesn’t this place have a store dedicated to colored tights and flats?!” more recently).
Follow us on Twitter to reply, or comment below and we will include the answers in a post later this week. I’m excited to see the results– we want to know what you think!
This week in craigslist art
Every once in a while, we get the urge to see what totally neat/utterly insane stuff people are trying to sell on craigslist listed as “art.” Above, in the “totally neat but unrealistically priced” category, are two high-priced needlepoints in Wynnewood.
These are not paintings, but needlepoint works of art. Both are hand made. Item on left is $700. Item on right is $1,000. Or best offer.
Oh, and cash only, btw.
In the “I think this was why Jesus got so pissy with the moneychangers that one time” category, here is what the seller claims is a genuine Armani crucifix, $325.
Giuseppe Armani Ltd. Edition Crucifix – 16.50 inches tall. This is # 1743 of a limited edition of 15,000. Dark wood cross with a beautiful luminous finish to the porcelain Sculpture. Comes with certificate – statue is signed by Armani and limited number also listed.The Statue is in beautiful condition. Photos do not do this sculpt justice. No more will ever be made.
Seriously, if there’s anything more cynical than producing a “limited-edition run” of 15,000 anything, it’s making a “limited-edition run” of 15,000 expensive crucifixes. (BTW, Giuseppe Armani is not to be confused with Giorgio Armani the designer.)
Armani Crucifix – Ltd. Edition Model 790 – $325 (Langhorne)
Cheap eagles, pricey eagles, NASCAR sculptures, obligatory 9/11 paintings and more, after the jump…
Who’s the Boss?
With only a couple of weeks remaining until the Boss returns to Philly (a friend of mine has been using her gchat away message to count down the days until her Springsteen tickets for approximately six months), here’s a shirt from etsy dude Communitea, who we first saw at a Philly craft event even though he’s based in Harrisburg. Maybe don’t wear it to work unless you’re self-employed, though.
Speaking of the Boss, remember that DIY Born to Run set of coasters we mentioned a while ago? Yeah, those were also pretty sweet.
Manic Monday
Michael Kors Glasses from Bloomies - under 100 bucks
Bloomingdale’s has picked up on the fact that not everyone has money to throw around these days, and has listed a bunch of accessories and shoes under 100 bucks. Nice.
Express doesn’t have any new deals, but they are featuring new coats for fall.
Also, NBC10 has a bunch of links up that should keep you busy until lunch…or at least for the next five minutes. First off there’s a slide show featuring Michelle Obama’s style. NBC10’s Lilliana Vazquez points the way to bold jewelry, and Garren talks about his path to doing hair for the stars.
Lastly, The Thread, NBC’s fashion blog picked out a list of best dressed celebs, and even more pictures of Jimmy Choo’s upcoming line at H&M.
What To Do This Weekend
Lebowski-fest Bowl Party at North Bowl What can we say? That rug really did tie the room together. The Big Lebowski Festival has toured the US since 2002 and is making it’s first stop in Philly this year at North Bowl. There will be a performance by the Black Diamond Heavies at the Electric Factory on Friday, and then everyone will be getting their bowl on Saturday night. I won’t call the night a success unless someone’s car windows have been smashed and someone’s lost a toe. They better have specials on White Russians. More deets here, man.
Philebrity’s Record Fair So, if you’re from Philly and know how to use the internet, chances are that you found out about Philebrity’s new record label as of the late. Well, all that aside it would seem they’re moving music in another way: on Saturday, join the throngs of plaid-clad RSS readers to flip through vinyls for a full day of “music, refreshments and nerding out”. It all goes down in Fishtown at The Skybox @2424 Studios (York & Gaul Street). More deets here.
Philly Pecha Kucha 3 I know, I know– “What the hell is a “Pecha Kucha”? It sounds like a disease/ecosystem/pokemon”- I’ve heard it all before. Briefly: Pecha Kucha Night originated in Japan and is like “show & tell” for grown ups. Presenters get 6 minutes and 20-timed slides to talk about whatever they want. The amateur presenters -most from around town– range from neuroscientists and city planners to nursing students, comedians, local artists and every type of hobbyit/ enthusiast without stage fright that this city has to offer.
Presentations begin at 7:30pm at Studio 34 in West Philly. And, uh, someone you know (err– read regularly) *hint hint* might be presenting about a survey she did on robots at this PPK. Be there or be square. Deets here!
Zombie Prom at the Trocadero With ghostly jams and makeup artists from Terror Behin the Walls lurking around every corner, what isn’t inviting about this event? Be formal and dance like the living dead at the annual Zombie Prom. Mortal and non-mortals alike will be monster mashing as of 8pm. More deets here.
Studio Gangster
Yeah, we may have just mentioned the opening of the new TrickGo boutique, but I will mention it again because they were thoughtful enough to stock the newest book by Philly-born, New York-based street artist (can someone provide me with a word for this that doesn’t make me feel like a tool, please?), non-street artist, illustrator and graphic designer Steve Powers, who coordinated this summer’s A Love Letter for You mural series along the El in West Philly. You know, these ones:
Powers’ book is called Studio Gangster, and according to the solitary amazon.com customer review:
Studio Gangster is an amazing book of artwork and words by Steve “ESPO” Powers. First published in the United States in 1951, this book has been a frequently challenged book for its liberal use of profanity and portrayal of sexuality and teenage angst. Originally published for adults, the book has become a common part of high school and college curricula throughout the English-speaking world; it has also been translated into almost all of the world’s major languages. Around 250,000 copies are sold each year, with total sales of more than 65 million. Studio Gangster was chosen by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present. The book’s protagonist, Steve Powers, or ESPO, has become an icon for teenage rebellion and defiance. Written in the first person, Studio Gangster follows Power’s experiences in New York City in the days following his expulsion from Pencey Prep, a college preparatory school. If you don’t buy this book you are fat and girls will not like you and God and your parents don’t love you anymore.
Not really, obviously. In fact, Studio Gangster is comprised of:
5 years of paintings that distill the complete range of human emotion into readily recalled and related memes. These visual archetypes are aptly described by Powers as a synthesis of word and image to create a new emotional revelation.
So it’s stuff like this, which was extremely successful in its memetic aspirations in that I very specifically remember it making the design-blog rounds on Valentine’s Day last year:
You can find a map of all the A Love Letter for You murals at the project’s website; TrickGo is at 1135 Pine Street and is open Monday through Saturday, 11-7.