Sunday, November 8, 2009

fashion.photo.survey.

The juxtaposition of the boyish and the ultra feminine, the grungy and the glamorous. This is the bedrock of our fashion religion. *salute!* Hee we go now....

Prints
Astrid: (in a British accent) I'm digging leopard! Leopard spewed on everything. Is it leopard or cheetah? Whatever, i want it tattooed on all my dresses, stockings, cropped faux fur coats, scarves, purses. I can't shake it. Roar! I own a Dior leopard print bag, and i can't get myself to carry it anywhere because it's too beautiful. Sacrilege! Maybe i should get a leopard inked on my foot?



Liz: I am mad about stripes and boatnecks. The swinging 60s/beatnik Factory style thing. I've been desperately trapped in this phase for the past 5 years i think. and anything with stripes, particularly navy stripes, i have to buy.


Fabric
Astrid: When it comes to fabric, i like anything that's a spandex blend because it tends to hug the right places on my body. Preferably 5% or less spandex creates an extremely tight, tailored-and-chic look. I love cigarette pants and towering 5" heels. So effortlessly crisp like a kettlechip.

Liz: Astrid hates this (because she insists it makes everyone look fat) but i love love love snug knits and cashmeres and wool/acrylic blends. I can't get enough of short, sweet, sexy knit sweater dresses with cowl necks that clip the shoulder. It's so sexy and cute at the same time.... like a kitten. i am so ashamed to say this, but i love fur. i wish there was a way to take it from animals without hurting them. =( There's nothing quite like being swallowed up in a fur and luxuriating in its decadence. So unPC, so unPC. Yes, i have seen THE PETA VIDEO which leads me to drown in an ethical and moral crisis--fashion? or my furry friends...?


Photo
Astrid: When it comes to fashion photography, i like high contrast with a touch of S&M. Why i love Ellen von Unwerth's work so much is due to the way she can make simple black and white look ubertrashy and tragic and romantic all at once. And then the colorlessness forces the attention on the clothes and detail.
Liz: I'm not really into black and white...i love color and vibrance! I hate how a lot of photography these days looks grainy, super desaturated and hipstery. i hate hipsteryness. i hate the fedoras. i hate the vests. i HATE SNEAKERS. i think it all looks so... contrived. however. juergen teller for marc jacobs confuses me and i can't tell if i lovesit or leavesit (kinda like the way i felt about the Spike Jonze movie Where the Wild Things Are--i was beyond baffled when i left) which leads me to conclude that i lovesit in all its matte hipstery glory. which leads me to drown in a minor identity crisis.

Hollywood Icon
Astrid: Duh, the great Kate during her 90s run. always + forever. here she is with John Galliano, fittingly shot by von Unwerth.
Liz: I object! Edie is the original Kate! All Kate did was emulate. Here are some of my golden idol superstar Edie Sedgwick's contributions to cosmopolitan fashion.

1) Opague black tights— i wear them in times of cooler weather mostly, primarily with ultrashort shift dresses to show off gams.
2) An array of gaudy heirloom costume jewelry; rings, bangles and of course, long chandelier “shoulder duster” earrings. All jewelry must be in a GOLD caste. no silver jewelry--it looks cheap! well, platinum, maybe. I find most of my costume jewelry at vintage shops or Goodwill and i always stock up on Bohemian finds.
3) Ballet flats! Black. Sure, Kate Moss reignited the craze again and could be seen around Londontown pairing them with her skinny jeans, but it was first Edie who was often video taped arabesque-ing around The Factory in a black Leotard, tights, a tight sweater and flats to keep in shape. Everyone needs at least one nice pair of black designer flats no matter how ridiculously overpriced.
4) In lieu of ballet flats, dancewear, duh! (American Apparel has great leotards in an assortment of colors.) Edie wore leopard and black leotards and sometimes wore leggings with baggy striped boat-neck shirts over them. She loved stripes and boat necks, of course! But it's something about the juxtaposition of the ultra skinny leg and the layered-blankety-baggy tops that is so freaking gold. so beautiful i cannot stand it.
5) Furs! (Hopefully faux, do the right thing, Liz). Edie’s were probably all real, but she wore luxurious fur coats while out in cooler months and they made her petite frame look even teenier.
6) Minidresses, miniskirts…mini. Edie liked to show off her legs because she had pretty ones. Pairing opague black tights and flats with a bohemian minidress is an Edieism. But to the clubs, i usually bare leg it. That's ok, too!
7) Of course, how can we forget!!! BLACK HEAVY EYELINER, KOHL PENCIL, BLACK SHADOW, FAUX LASHES AND TRIPLE COATED MASCARA. apply and repeat. reapply and re-repeat. We know all about this. There are a bazillion secrets to applying. It's not just facepainting. there is a technique to the madness, i swear!
8) LAST BUT NOT LEAST, HERE ARE SOME EDIE LOOKS TO AVOID: CHAIN SMOKING CIGARETTES, ahem! Astrid! BOOZE PASTED TO THE HAND, AND HEROIN NEEDLE IN THE PURSE. mu ha ha ha...

Single Item Current Obsession
Astrid: red Chloe "Susan" buckle boots. they're from Fall o8 i believe.

Liz: Perfect. Hair. Early-70s teased bouffant hair.

Screen Character's Style
Astrid: Satine from Moulin Rouge. The courtesan look. Corsets and feathers and deep hues. Pale skin, bare breasts, pink cheeks, heart lips. Cherub meets whore.

Liz: Um...she's not really a screen character, but i love Kylie Minogue in every music video she's ever done. She is so fierce it's buh na nas. i die.


Makeup
Astrid:
Liz: YES!!! I AGREE!! but NOTE!--no shimmery metallic shadow under brows - it looks drag queenish and mutes the high contrast/dramatic effect of the kohl. if you're worried you will look lucy liu-ish or bai lingish with all the shadow (cat eye effect *shudder*), u can even use double-eyelid tape to even further exaggerate the rounder wide-eyed look by creating a larger eyelid crease on which to apply more black shadow. ridiculous, yes. but shadow totally hides the tape. u can only use the tape if you're doing raccoon!

Wardrobe Item I Cannot Live Without
Astrid: I can't live without my slouchy oversize knit grandma sweaters. I throw them over everything from skinny jeans to sequined dresses. Others i just slip into like a dress. Besides

that, my other item has to be faux lashes--a girl's chicest accessory. I cannot live without them. They've become a part of me. Lady Gaga said in an interview that she used to spend her entire summers shopping around for the perfect eyelashes. Vanity. Lovesit.
Liz: Me too. I am a professional fauxlash applicator. the trick is to glue the inner corners on first, and make sure they're stuck perfectly as close to the real lash line as possible, TURNED UP. trust me, they look funny turned up that high while you're doing it (think Clockwork Orange) but they end up falling down a little bit and if you make the inner corner lashes turn up higher than the rest, it makes your eyes look bigger and wider, like a doll. #111 is probably the bane of my existence. i think we've spent at least $5,000 on #111!!! :(

Imminent Splurge
Astrid: Mens Oxford shoes and a gold mens watch. For me, if it's not 5" heels with a hidden .5" max hidden platform, it's unique flats. Not ballet flats. But mens flats or thigh high boots.
Liz: It's not really a splurge monetarily but morally because i'm giving up buying crap i don't need for Lizzent. But the next time i fall off the wagon, it will be for clip in Remy Human Hair Bangs Extensions. Because i love bangs, but i don't want to commit. I'm materially depraved.


Current Single Release from the Soundtrack of My Life
Astrid: Albert Hammond, Jr.'s - Bright Young Thing
Liz: Sanctus Real - Whatever You're Doing
"Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly"

Current Scent
Astrid: I tend to end up wearing anything my sister buys. She's mastered the secret of parfum testing...it takes about five hours to know what top notes fade and what scent you're left with for the rest of the day. Basically, a parfum will have an initial scent but it changes as the oils of your skin and body temperature react with it. It's tricky because you might test a certain parfum and love it because it smells fruity, but it could turn musty in the next few hours.
Liz: The only fragrances worth wearing are eau de parfums and the only eau de parfums worth wearing are from French Houses. Annick Goutal's Petit Cherie will be my scent aura as i raise my daughters so that its sweetness will permeate their childhood memories and always remind them of me. Goutal was a pianist until she was 21, like me. She understood how perfuming is an art of harmony, like playing the piano. It reminds me of my mother who is a professional pianist and organist.

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