Update and Repost: Dimensional Fashion on Display in Grand Rapids

So I went back to the GRAM for another look at Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion

(yes it is interesting enough to warrant a second look!)

And I took the time this time to watch the footage of her runway shows. On mannequins, the dresses have a beautiful fascination, but when you watch someone try to move in them, you get a grasp of their absolute absurd ridiculousness. 

Honestly, these women look so uncomfortable and miserable. Mostly it's the shoes. The insane heelless shoes. I simply cannot get over them. I can't stop watching these 9-foot-tall toothpicks wobbling down the runway. And when someone is concentrating that hard on simply walking forward, it becomes less sexy and more degrading. 

So please, go see the show and enjoy it as art and sculpture, be awed by the materials, but I'm going to stop referring to the pieces as clothes now!

---

Original post published December 22nd, 2016  

If you find yourself in Grand Rapids during the next few weeks, I must urge you to check out the Iris van Herpen: Transforming Fashion exhibit at the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

On display, are about 100 innovative pieces from Iris van Herpen, a cutting-edge fashion designer from the Netherlands. The stunning craftsmanship of Van Herpen's work is not overshadowed by her use of unorthodox materials, such as umbrellas and metal screens. But she is perhaps best known for creating the world's first 3-D-printed couture fashions.

The 3-D printed clothes, don't look particularly comfortable and I don't anticipate seeing them hanging in our closets anytime soon, but they don't fail to enrapture. The futuristic styles compliment the human form in an organic manner, yet create designs that function more like sculpture than apparel. 

Van Herpen revealed her first collection in 2007, after graduating from the ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in the Netherlands. Since then, her work has appeared on international runways and she has designed couture pieces for fashion powerhouses such as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Bjork.

Van Herpen believes "Wearing clothing creates an exciting and imperative form of self-expression." This exhibition features outfits, while outrageously "different", are undeniable beautiful. 

The GRAM exhibition continues until January 15th. I cannot recommend a visit strongly enough. For a listing of hours of operation, visit artmuseumgr.org.

Apple's Dirty Little Secret

In the mid-'80s, Apple dared to show the fashion world a few things. Called "The Apple Collection" this wardrobe of oversized sweatshirts and neon tracksuits (perfect for "after a day of windsurfing") is absolutely priceless and jaw-dropping. 

[Ha— The kid on the left knows what's up, and he isn't having any of it!]

It's a long way from the modern, minimalist designs (and the black turtlenecks) that have made Apple so iconic today. I think it's clear, why the people who engineer computers, don't also design clothing...

The Paper Queen

Mother of the year award goes to Angie [@2sisters_angie] for her encouragement of [the nothing short of fabulous] Mayhem—her 4-year-old daughter, who seems to have an eye for fashion.

Over 9 months ago, mother and daughter began designing gowns from paper, which Angie uploads to her instagram feed. Looking back over the stills, the styles are vast, breathtaking, creative and just plain fun. Look out world, that is one well-dressed 4-year-old!

Designs started out relatively simple, and rapidly began evolving, still using mainly only paper and tape. Mayhem and her mommy often draw inspiration from the runway and red carpet. I can't get enough of these beautiful, colorful dresses and their sassy little model.

See many more designs, and read comments from Angie on Huff Post.
#fashionbymayhem

Chop and Revive: T-Shirt Restyle

As the sun descends earlier, and we're faced with more time in the dark and indoors, it's becomes time to tackle the piling pile of To-Do List items. 

First up for me, a little T-Shirt Restyling I'd been meaning to try, as suggested by Nic Howard on her blog, It's been one of those days. 

I took her basic idea and turned a favorite tee that I wanted to refit, into a halter top. I used an old drawstring as the tie instead of the sleeve edges. And I also made the shirt tie in the back center like a halter, rather than attaching at each shoulder. You can follow the original How-To here.

This is a great way to put new life into pieces of your wardrobe that you may have abandoned or forgotten. Click here for more "Trash to Couture" ideas.

Check it Out: New Life to Gingham

Ever since the calico cat met the gingham dog* I've loved the classic appeal of gingham—everything from Dorothy's dress to Jackie O to picnic cloths.

The resurgence of retro styling is giving this simple pattern new life. 

And thanks to heavy hitters like Kate Spade, who launched her first collection of bags with gingham linings in 1993, gingham is finally having it's day. Kate Spade celebrates the checkered style on their landing page** and they invite you to follow the hashtag #ginghamstyle (get it—like gangnum style??)

I'm charmed by the fresh take mixed with vintage vibes that I'm getting from the rising gingham trend. Can't wait to mix prints this Spring!


*This is a reference to the poem The Duel by Eugene Field. I made the above calico cat and gingham dog to go along with the poem as a 4-H project when i was in middle school.

** See their history of gingham (in a nutshell)

A Case for Envy

I work for the third largest shoe company in the world (Wolverine World Wide is the largest non-athletic shoe company, coming in behind Nike and Adidas.) So I shouldn't have shoe envy....

...but that doesn't stop me from drooling over the glorious marketing of Sorel—a Canadian company focusing on heritage and functionality. Check out the video below, they've managed to take rain boots and turn them into a city-life, high-fashion commodity. 

Now how badly do you want to frolic through NYC wearing knee high boots on lovely blue-skied days right now? Am I right?

Socks for your Head

Now I don't normally talk about fashion (unless it's shoe specific) but a girl at work had the most adorable hairdo the other day and when questioned about it, she eventually revealed that there was a sock inside it.*

My curiosity was piqued— I had to find out how she hid a sock in her hair. So I turned to YouTube, where I discovered Wendy and her lookbook.

As it turns out, Wendy Nguyen herself is quite an admirable individual, fashion-sense aside. She grew up in foster care, until she emancipated from the system and went to University of California, Berkeley where she studied Psychology. She currently lives in LA, and volunteers at InsideOutWriters, a non-profit organization that provides mentorship to previously incarcerated youths.

Well done, Wendy. But back to the lookbook. What immediate struck me about WLB was the quality of her videos. This is not a home webcam DIY operation.** The tutorials are polished and professional from her fall fashion intro to the Fashion is Courage piece to this bit of scarf porn:
But my favorite bits range from fast-forward giggles to brain-dead moments—the little things that weren't edited out that make these videos appealing.

Oh, and about that sock bun. I haven't quite mastered it, but Wendy can give you a hand:
*This was a mistake as it lead to merciless teasing—not from me of course.
**Obviously! since  her intro is shot in three different countries. I'm dying to know how she funds this! Simply in advertising dollars?

Fashionable Lines

Several months back, as I was doing a little preliminary design concepting, I was struck by the illustrative style of Bernard Blossac.

It's easy to get lost in a world of Google images, and I often find myself slipping down the slope. When I find something that interests me, I immediately must know more. So Bernard Blossac, what's your story?

Bernard Blossac was a fashion designer who illustrated for Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar among other high-end fashion magazines during the 1940s. Born Bernard de la Bourdonnaie-Blossac in 1917 (d. 2011) in the suburbs of Paris, he was stationed in Paris during the German occupation, where the vogue lifestyle seemed to continue, despite being occupied by Germany,  

It's his combination of pencil and watercolor, and the limited use of color that really appeals to me. The linework in Blossac's illustrations is so dynamic—looking so effortless yet providing the images with so much depth and life. I love the way these fashionable people are painting amongst every day scenes– parks, restaurants, the street, etc. Despite the often commonplace surroundings, there is something aristocratic and elegant about each of them.

I'd love to encourage you to read more on Blossac but while finding images of his work was simple enough, finding out more about the artist himself proved rather difficult. But you can tumble with Blossac here.

Those are Hush Puppies?

You wouldn't believe how many times a week I hear "Those are Hush Puppies?" I think it's time America took another look at an old favorite.

Meet FIVE, a collaboration between Hush Puppies and Vibram, and a shoe that is definitely turning heads. Love it or hate it, It's not what you expect from your "grandma's shoe" company. These will arrive just before the holiday!

And for the ladies, the fall line has just reached the website, and the 1958 Collection is an absolute stand-out. Tyro and Postcard are particularly awesome. And take it from someone who's worn them,  Root, Basis and Essence are all quite fantastic too!

AND, as a bonus, for the month of August Hush Puppies is giving away a pair of shoes everyday! Visit the Facebook page to enter. And for every friend of yours that also Likes the page, you get an additional entry!

Struttin' those Pups

It was two weeks ago now, but Wolverine's Lifestyle Group conferences began with a Spring/Summer '13 Collection Preview a la the Hush Puppies fashion show held at Steelcase Town Hall.

The show was high energy, kicking off with a British Invasion-style introduction of the Hemingway Collection, followed by the highly anticipated, new premium line FIVE—a hybrid of classic Hush Puppies styles combined with Vibram outsoles.

But, as expected, the star of the show were two long-eared friends!

Once again, all these great pics are by Alicia Magnuson.

Read MLive's coverage of the event here.

I confess...

I know! I've been a delinquent blogger. But we're working fast and furious to hit print deadlines at work for the Spring/Summer 2013 Campaign. As materials go public, I'll be sure to share them here. In the meantime, get excited for Spring/Summer 2012 with this fun Hush Puppies video on YouTube.*

More soon I promise!

*Watch the shorten version that Canada is using as a TV Spot too!