What I Wore

Punk tribute to Diana Vreeland for a final celebration in Chicago before I left for the summer. More kabuki makeup and vintage swede and leather dress from the 1980s. 

What I Wore

Photo Credit: Sara Walls

Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier pants, slick black, and dramatic makeup. Nearing the end of my first year in college. Celebrating in the gardens of the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Balenciaga Pre-Fall 2017 Review

     In less than a year, Demna Gvsalia has been able to redefine the Balenciaga trademarks for this age. This Pre-Fall collection solidifies those trademarks by making them last more than one season in this display of mismatching. Rather than throwing out all previous ideas every season and starting from scratch, Balenciaga is now building off of what items are best noticed and what is selling. The glove-like pointy heeled boots, the shapely suiting, ecclesiastical fabrics, bold, two-tone color combinations, and oversized and repurposed leather bags in strange shapes have been seen before and are being seen here. The fetishistic and skin tight-ness of everything tagged with billowing pants that look too long and fall over the twisted kitten heels. Fetish, modernity, architecture, and coldness are all building blocks of understanding the Balenciaga woman. It will be interesting going forward in Balenciaga's ready-to-wear collections, to see whether these themes will continue. Will Gvsalia choose to change everything for Spring/Summer 2018? Or, has he established the codes for the time being and just choose to continue with the things that sell for the rest of his tenure at the house? 

What I Wore

Photo Credit: Sara Walls

Diana Vreeland, the legendary editor, once stormed into the Harper's Bazaar boardroom and declared at the top of her lungs, "The entire next issue must be about fuchsia!" To which Carmel Snow, the editor-in-chief, nodded quietly in response, "Diana, we'll do four pages on fuchsia". -Harper's Bazaar 150

What I Wore

Blood Ball 2017

In honor of Mary Blood

and Vampires everywhere.

Winner of best dressed.

What I Wore

Dark and romantic glamor. 

MAC Cosmetics "Deep With Envy" lipstick.

What I Wore

This spring, I really want to experiment with color. While I usually only wear black or deep shades of olive, royal blues, or blood reds, I have started to invest in garments that are bright, to contrast with all the darkness. Shocking oranges, hot pinks, fuchsias, electric blues, and healthy greens are colors I'm attempting for spring. These bright hues mixed in with my usual oversized jewelry and slick blacks will create a 1980's inspired style. The 1980's are back in fashion, there's no denying it. And I for one, am the most excited. Look at Louis Vuitton's eye makeup, Céline's bright car coats, Valentino's vibrant frocks, and Balenciaga's saturated offerings for Spring 2017 inspiration.

Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     Demna Gvasalia's been at Balenciaga for more than a year now, and this latest collection for Fall/Winter 2017 combined codes of the house and modern twists into something relevant.  Because fashion is certainly a reflection of our times, rather than something that is just decorative, it must be understood that this Balenciaga show in context provides us with a way at looking at fashion and dressing that is relevant to today and next season, integrated with the world. Luxury and glamour must serve a purpose in the world we live in. Today, that world is technology obsessed, thus the fashion should integrate technological advancements to benefit the wearer. Gvasalia took that idea and made it more abstract: warping technical fabrics with couture fabrics for the modern woman. There were motifs of the automobile industry, with car interior mats as skirts and belts, broken rear-view mirrors as clutches, and flags wrapped around the "knife" heels models strutted down in. High fashion today is definitely made the same way cars are manufactured. Mass production and lack of laboratory experimentation dominate both industries.  Tweed, high shoulder skirt suits, and men's shirting played the major role. Then came the brilliant twisting of coat fastenings, skirt constructions, and thick belting. Suiting gave into hyper floral fabric dresses in velvet, and variations of street-ready pieces mixed with couture like fabrics and embroideries. In fact, back when Cristóbal Balenciaga was designing, he was celebrated for creating haute couture that wasn't stuffy, but absolutely incredible and modern, using the highest quality fabrics he could get his hands on. For this show, Gvasalia put his viewers in a massive industrial space, several times larger than needed for a runway. For the last nine looks, actual haute couture pieces reinterpreted by the current team paired with modern bags, sunglasses, and nylon boots paid tribute to the brand's 100 year anniversary. Those "Bazar Shopper" bags came in coordination with the evening wear in an ironic and modern twist. The idea was that because the Balenciaga woman is so busy being modern, she has to carry her life in a bag that weighs twice as she does around with her to galas and ceremonies. Though it would be fabulous to see these bags on the red carpet, the daring combination of gown and tote may only present itself in the editorial pages of a fashion magazine.

Comme Des Garçons Fall/Winter 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     Rei Kawakubo's iconic work for her line, Comme Des Garçons, is going to have the highest honor a fashion designer can have: an entire exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In fact, it is so important that Kawakubo is only the second living designer to have this happen to. The first was Yves Saint Laurent back in 1983, when Diana Vreeland was the one making the decisions at the Costume Institute at the Met. If you have followed any of Kawakubo's hard work over the last forty years, you would understand why the Met made such a statement with this forthcoming showcase. It is because Comme Des Garçons itself continues to create statements with every breathtaking collection. Every garment is soaked with art and history references, and abstract exploration of physics, the human body, and the human will. This fashion show collection in particular looked back at the evolution of Comme Des Garçons as well as what the brand means today. Starting off with a retelling of "Body Meets Dress, Dress Meets Body", the memorable collection of Spring/Summer 1997 in stark white, rather than the brand's usual black, shows the boldness right off the bat. Evolving from pristine, sculptural shapes, the materials began to develop and whirl around the body into the essence of a floating mannequin form made from industrial fabrics. The mannequin form took off on its own to evolve into hard faux leather, paper, metal, and blood collages that engulfed the body. This is clothing as armor, as insulation, and as a part of human DNA. In fact, it was the blend of the natural world, the industrialized world, and the world within our human bodies that Kawakubo was playing with, mostly. Rather than looking back and self-referencing through a vast archive to celebrate this milestone,  Comme Des Garçons instead chose to keep pushing new ideas as if nothing has really changed. This collection thus solidifies Kawakubo as a powerhouse and one of the greatest designers of our time. Which is reason enough to put her work into the sphere of a Met exhibit, opening this May.

Undercover Fall/Winter 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     Undercover by Jun Takahashi was the best fashion show of the Fall 2017 season, hands down. Viewers cried, cheered, and raved at this spectacular display of fashion theatricality. It transcended all other shows this time around based solely on its ability to create a fantastical world in reaction to the world that is currently crumbling around us. Takahashi envisioned a "Utopie", a future where society developes into 10 archetypes, living in harmony, like bees in a colony. There were the aristocrats, the wardens, the soldiers, the young rebels, the nomads, the clergy, the agitators, the choir, a "new species", and the monarchy. Each division, or "acts", as they should be referred to as, were statements of silhouette, fabric mixture, draping, and color theory. Oversized ruffs, cornettes, horns, billowing military jackets and puffers, knee high stomping boots, fabricated wings, and headgear galore blended the collection's reoccurring themes of history, futurism, and nature together in perfect synchronization. And that just what Takahashi wants in the future. In this world of uncertainty and increasing nationalism, perfect synchronization of the world should be a concern for all national leaders. This Undercover performance should remind everyone that we are all human; though we differ in life goals, strengths, and weaknesses, we all can live in harmony and put our differences to good use, where equality reigns as the monarch, rather than a system of government based on fame, wealth, backstabbing, and fear. Takahashi certainly saw inspiration from insects, which all live and depend on each other for survival. Bee and ant colonies cannot thrive without organized equality. A queen mother bee is just as important as the worker bees going out to pollinate. 

What I Wore

     Here's a few full shots of the original look I wore for my Chronicle interview. I went out of my way to capture the look in a different setting a little while after the article was published. Currently, I've been trying more makeup looks to go alongside my outfits. These photos were taken in Boystown, a neighborhood in Chicago boasting many great shops, cafes, and clubs. The neighborhood is home to a LGBTQ+ community bursting forth with creativity. I love going to Beatnix, a store specializing in costume and drag clothing, jewelry, and shoes, Taboo Tabou, an upscale boutique specializing in sensuality, and Ann Sather Restaurant, a great place to have brunch where the staff is friendly and the food is as incredible as the ambiance. If you are ever in Chicago, you ought to take the Red Line to Belmont, and explore the neighborhood. You won't be disappointed by what you find!

Men Who Wear Makeup Article

     The Columbia Chronicle is a multi-award winning publication based at Columbia College Chicago. It is a newspaper I have been obsessed with since I found out about Columbia College Chicago, circa 2012, about a year before I started my own website. Don't let the fact that the Chronicle is a college newspaper sway your opinion. Every single issue of the Chronicle pushes to expose the facts about Chicago, Columbia College, and national issues. It is a progressive newspaper that conveys raw stories, humorous and intellectual opinion pieces, and riveting photojournalism throughout its pages. That is why it was such an honor for me to be interviewed by Zoë Eitel, the Chronicle's Managing Editor. The discussion: the emerging men's beauty industry. Zoë asked me about what it's like being a man who wears makeup and who my inspirations are. I implore everyone to check out the article, as it asks founders of men's beauty brands as well as other Columbia students what they think about men who wear makeup. Simply click on the image of the article above and read on!

Urban Outcry

     Nearly four weeks ago, a friend of mine named Emma Siewieski offered to photograph me around Chicago. Emma's website Urban Outcry catalogs her photography work as well as invites Chicago artists to collaborate with her. I enjoyed the shoot and she captured high quality pictures that show my style. I encourage you to follow Emma's work on her Instagram and to contact her on her website if you are a Chicago-based creative.  

Gareth Pugh Fall/Winter 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     Gareth Pugh's latest demonstration was the best kind of fashion show: one that reflects on the world it inhabits, results in strong critiques, and provides a strong, undeniably opinionated cohesive message. This truly terrifying show began to unfold on social media, weeks before the basement setting and the mind-melting track started playing. Pugh released a few images on the brand's Instagram in protest of the election of President Donald Trump, with the hashtag #fucktrump and #pussygrabsback. This opposition to the Trump agenda in the United States was an unavoidable theme for Pugh as this show. Hosted under five flights of stairs, in an unfinished basement devoid of light, journalists and other guests sat in narrow spaces in total darkness until a soft, classical voice challenged the listener to "stay awake, keep your eyes open". Then a thunderous crash of sound and light interrupted. The soft, caring voice was replaced with a screaming drill sergeant, spliced with Trump hollering "Build that wall! Build that wall!", spliced with pop music from the past forty years, and other themes in a wild and unsettling cacophony. Pugh was smashing these recorded media together, with terrifying results. The listener simply couldn't follow, and it was impossible to calculate the beat in the soundtrack. Perhaps Pugh was referring to the clamor of information so readily available on the internet and on social media platforms. Perhaps he thinks the internet is what got us in this mess and what is going to make the future only worse. The first warrior of Pugh's terrifying vision of the future was clad in big, black leather boots and a pointed collar leather coat with black vinyl covering her eyes. This freakish makeup continued, as some of Pugh's greatest friends strutted around in all black military-esque jackets and faux fur. At first glance they may seem like just your average London club kids and dominatrices, but they are the average people of the brutal future in Pugh's eye. The clothes in and of themselves were nothing revolutionary, as Pugh played with and used many of his previous silhouettes and techniques in his trademark black. However, it was the setting and the stomping of which they were subjected to that made the clothes feel new and modern. Trash bag-like material billowed around in the storm as sculptural constructions stayed put on the model's forms. It can be denounced then that the purpose of this fashion show was to state a strong, political viewpoint by Pugh, rather than offer frivolous and trendy ideas that Pugh has never been a fan of anyway. Gareth Pugh has an undeniable opinion this season. This only pushes him further as a designer, with more than a decade of experience, into a realm of superiority over designers who choose not to have a well-rounded opinion on the turbulent political climates of the world. The world which we all inhabit, in fact. 

Maison Margiela Spring/Summer 2017 Couture Review

     Every season John Galliano for Maison Margiela just gets better and better as a collaboration. Galliano is a sheer genius no doubt, and the Marigela house codes of anonymity, deconstruction, and storytelling fit perfectly. This season, Galliano and the Margiela team explored the way a garment is constructed for their "Artisianal" collection, as well as the filters we put on clothes today. It all started with fabric manipulation; how the garments were pulled apart to create something new. These new creations were strapped together, warped, and buttoned in a modern way. The multiple types of fabrics were all jumbled together, dissarranged like patchwork with high contrasts. Strips of silk and wool were draped everywhere on the body and into the model's hair. As the collection progressed, intricate crystal detailing came woven in and red fabric was introduced. A few of these red looks seem to reference Galliano's first collection for Marigela only two years ago, the "Artisianal" Spring 2015 collection. These looks were mostly in tulle, with a reoccurring face motif. However these faces were morphed and edited in the same way Snapchat filters do. It is interesting to see a highly-regarded designer like Galliano to directly reference something that seems so silly, but it is surely a sign of our times and a token of our culture. The faces became more abstract, as fabric began to billow around the models like fog, until a beautiful face made of tulle by artist Benjamin Shine came out on a clinically white coat. For the finale, the doors at the end of the catwalk flew open, to reveal a massive black sphere of floating fabric, like a storm cloud, that cascaded over the audience when spun around. A cohesive and extraordinary collection done by an extraordinary collaboration. 

What I Wore

     I have officially started my second semester of college. After a moment of departure from my classes, I have returned to Chicago to continue with my studies and focus myself on developing my craft and meeting new people. I have new ideas for this blog, like turning it into a place where fashion design students from Columbia (and even other colleges within Chicago) can have their work broadcasted. As a young student, I am amazed to see what my colleagues are already doing with their creative work and wish to capture it for a wider audience and to create an archive for my findings. I am also excited to say that I'm arranging to be featured in The Columbia Chronicle, Columbia College's award-winning newspaper. I will interviewed about being a man who wears makeup and the challenges that come with it. I am very excited about this semester, particularly because of the increased confidence I have and the creative freedom I have been given.

Alexander McQueen Fall/Winter 2017 Menswear Review

     There is no doubt about the constant, constant, constant changes within politics, fashion, and culture as a whole. However, there are moments that remind me that artistic substance still exists despite constant change. Sarah Burton's fall menswear collection for Alexander McQueen was an expedition that proved pomp and circumstance can still exist in this age of technology and leisure. Throughout these men's fashion weeks, I have seen collection after collection trying too hard to push banal, thoughtless ideas about masculinity and the future of fashion. Sportswear and ease have taken over. Perhaps that is the spirit of our times, which I respect and understand. However, Alexander McQueen is an educational and rich brand. Rather than trying too hard to please the buyers and the media, Sarah Burton and the entire Alexander McQueen team have decided to create something that defines modern opulence for menswear. Oscar Wilde, where the collection draws most of its inspiration, was a writer who opted to live his life in search of the most romantic and beautiful things he could get his hands on. No doubt an aesthete, Wilde cloaked himself in Victorian fur capes, gem incrusted tie pins, and lush embroidery on any surface he found applicable. His philosophy obviously came through in his writing, when he often described the beauty of floral gardens, velvety interior design, and intricate oil paintings. This lushness translates into this McQueen collection with mohair, velvet, and brocade suiting, fur trimmed overcoats, and cashmere sweaters. To make the silhouettes modern and not straight out of Henry Keen's illustrations for "The Picture of Dorian Gray", the McQueen team added elements of punk within. Bondage straps, torn sweaters, safety pin piercings, and heavy, steel-toed combat boots hardened the collection and made it more desirable. In terms of color choice, canary yellow made a surprising appearance for suiting not seen at all on other menswear collections. Of course there was classic suiting colors in black, dark grays, and camel, but they were usually decorated with baroque prints and William Morris-eque details. With all of this regality and ornamentation, esteemed fashion reporter Tim Blanks questioned the wearability of these clothes, calling out their "innate costumeyness". Blanks found too much separation between these clothes and what is happening in the real world. However I believe we need esapism in fashion. Especially when the real world hits us in the head every time we go on Twitter or Facebook. Escapism in these physical clothes are what makes this collection valid. 

LOVERBOY Charles Jeffrey (MAN) Fall/Winter 2017 Menswear Review

     Charles Jeffrey is an up-and-coming London menswear designer who is "bringing the club back to the catwalk", according to DazedDigital.com. In Leigh Bowery-esque flourishes, Jeffrey takes his brand "LOVERBOY" to create fabulous, gender bending, and new silhouettes for the man. The clothes he concocts are both sensually inviting and seductive.  In terms of aesthetics, Jeffrey often references important historical figures like King Henry VIII, Oscar Wilde, and William Shakespeare. New Romanticism definitely exists in the made-up, flowy, and inky ensembles. These clothes can be seen both in London's heavily documented club scene, as well as to formal events, if spliced correctly. That's perhaps the magic of LOVERBOY; the strong, passionate blending of high and low culture into a modern concoction of fashion. Maybe that's why LOVERBOY reminds me so much of early 1990's Alexander McQueen catwalk shows in a way. The performance art audacity and the blending of history and future is something McQueen managed in the early days of the brand. Performance art always seems to be integrated within the presentation of the clothes for Charles Jeffrey's LOVERBOY. The body paint, massive wearable sculptures, and dancers in nude underwear created a theatrical presence that doesn't exist at most fashion shows, especially at a menswear show. LOVERBOY by Charles Jeffery is really pushing the boundaries of masculinity with beautiful clothes that create a future for vivacious  menswear.

Comme Des Garçons Spring/Summer 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     The elusive designer Rei Kawakubo is bored with showing clothes on the runway. Instead, she is creating magnificent sculptures onto the human body. They speak as art would about the current world we are living in. Absolutely rich in craftsmanship, these billowing works of art are sewn, embroidered, and draped into romantic silhouettes. In fact, this was the most beautiful collection ever done at Comme Des Garçons. This collection references everything that has come before it within the house and really summarizes the brand as a whole. It is incredibly remarkable that a brand like Comme Des Garçons has managed to transcend decades and not follow the frivolous trends that exist in the fashion world. Comme Des Garçons is its own bubble that transcends fads and creates works at every price point that are beautiful and people still have an immense desire to purchase. This collection in particular was gothic, counter-cultural, and breathtaking. Flat and structured black wool and velvet with white ruffles and bows emulated a girly yet twisted style. Lederhosen with pleats flying off the body in black acid wash fabric was just one example of creating surrealism with clothes. There were countless other examples of surrealism with extremely deep references woven in. Sinister beauty oozed from the surface with the extremely dark color palette and use of latex. Plastic also covered the models faces in a perverse way. Perhaps they're suffocating under the weight of consumerist culture. Perhaps they're committing suicide. Perhaps Kawakubo is explaining her distaste for a world that only cares about the 2-D synthetic image that only appears real. Maybe she's speaking about this Instagram culture, where everyone is taking pictures of the events that they go to, rather than enjoying the experience and creating a screen of separation between the individual and the outside world. Whatever the intention may be, every aspect of this collection has more to do with the real world and all of it's problems, rather than the superficial trends of the fashion industry. 

Maison Margiela Spring/Summer 2017 Ready-to-Wear Review

     Space-age strangeness and soft materials graced this Maison Marigela by John Galliano collection. This time around individual pieces and sets stood out, giving it a wearability and digestibility that didn't happen when the clothes were piled on and on like previous collections under Galliano. Rather, Galliano was much more about the street, pushing forward clothes that people can actually throw on and instantly look incredible in, with insanely amazing makeup and accessories, of course. These looks are ever more enticing, without being too boring. It's much more inviting to put these specific pieces together, rather than totally destroying them and wrapping them around your body in a fabulous way. There is of course the regular intense mixing of garments that shouldn't belong together, yet they do. New inventions in color combinations made everything cutting-edge and fresh, making it unlike any other show in Paris. A delicate black lace dress with detailed embroidery paired with glove-like space boots was one example of the post-modern mix that created something new. Also, an ensemble of a near-black plaid trench coat dress belted with a patent leather waist belt, black leather platform pilgrim boots, plastic bracelets over the jacket, and a brown leather messenger bag was a personal favorite look. Perhaps the story behind the look is that she's a futuristic business woman with a bit of a kooky side but is still professional and intimidating when she needs to be. Whatever the case may be, it was exceptional. The incredible technique of Galliano for Marigela has been posted on this website more than once, but there is little to complain about. Galliano is a mastermind of fashion and always has been. This was certainly justifying that point. So sorry, haters of Galliano for Maison Margiela (if there is still any of you left) but this is Fashion with a capital F!