Haunted Air

"The perishing of fabrics and the rotting of early rubber, due to chemical instabilities and damp conditions, create new and sinister, puzzling abnormalities. Time and repeated wear have caused a beautiful metamorphosis, never intended or imagined by the maker."

— Ossian Brown

I fell in love with Haunted Air when I first saw it exposed at the Pompidou a couple of years ago during the Nouveau Festival : this vitrine of pocket-sized, crinkly old photos displayed on dark velvet, slightly warped.

As you well know I do have a strong love for found photographs, but these were some of the strangest images I have ever encountered; they all showcased the most disturbing, primitive and dark Halloween costumes.

Ex-Coil member Ossian Brown must have spent many years unearthing these images and the book edition is equally beautiful, complete with words by David Lynch and Geoff Cox.

It's been out for 2 years already but I still find it one of the most intriguing collection of not only Halloween photography, but found photos in general.

There's a nice selection complete with captions here.

Happy Halloween!

The Erin Fetherston Bunny Dress

 

You may remember this dress from the Erin Fetherston for Target collab. Of course I acquired it via Ebay a few years ago and unfortunately it wasn't in my size, I waited forever to take it to the tailor and now I just feel too old for it.

It is absolutely darling and in practically new condition, not to mention still on trend with the cute bunny novelty print.

So if any of you lovely ladies would like to snag this baby, it's available on ASOS Marketplace. If you'd prefer not creating an account and buying it directly via Paypal/make me an offer simply email me.

 

Monday Musings : A FIAC snapshot (and the giveaway winner)

photo via ParisBouge

As Enrico excellently put it : the editors of such a FRENCH thing to do! crashing the FIAC.

Technically we're press, so we had all the right to be there; if anyone was to argue with that, I think our outfits were enough to validate our presence.

Because of course, FIAC is about contemporary art, but it's also very much about money and fashion.

I don't think I've seen so many perfectly tailored suits and pocket squares in one night before!

But the FIAC is an entire thing in itself, as I overheard a girl at the opening saying - ''I should make a blog just about this!''.

It's a very intense 4 day weekend and we've only been to two. Now I kinda regret not having taken my camera, but in a way I guess I enjoyed it more like the hallucinating, over the top art overdose it is.

It's like Fashion Week for the arts, really. And if you get tired of seeing art and just find a seat on the side the corridors are literally catwalks. Especially on opening night.

                          *** The winner of our giveaway is Kati! Congratulations! ***

Thanks again to everyone who participated and your sweet words. Given the relative modest turnout of the event, all the lovely ladies entered will be given a little consolation prize. Let's make next year better!

The fall collection is now in the shop!

Hello everyone!

Between the FIAC and other weekend activities, I finally finished adding all new items to the shop; so head over for lovely 70s prairie dresses, a darling 50s country skirt and the most perfect 40s style cardigan (yes, this one sold out already!).

Take a peek at the look book here. All the pieces are now available in the shop - but remember, these are vintage and one of a kind, so hurry up!

Film&Fashion Fridays : Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête

OK, I know this is gonna sound like a no-brainer but seriously guys - after re-watching Cocteau's take on Beauty and the Beast in cinema this Tuesday I just HAD TO write about it(knowing it's been done to death)! I know it's almost as popular as the Disney version (at least in somewhat artsy-intellectual cycles; I ran into an old teacher from Paris 8 dragging his 6 year old to see it) and you've probably all seen it by now, but it's just that good.

Or simply all those things I normally hate but in this movie you can't help by be smitten with : it's anti feminist, reinforces false female stereotypes, the male star was actually's Cocteau's lover AND it has magic. Magic!

But seriously now - this film IS magic! And the best kind of early cinema magic. I mean it is from 1946 and it does feel silly, over the top and completely fake but it's a fucking fairy tale after all! And it really makes you go with it and actually believe it.

I don't know about you, but I guess I still believe in fairy tales (yes, I am ashamed of how that sounded).

So even if you've seen in a dozen times already, I think it won't hurt seeing it again. After all, it is kinduv like the Wizard of Oz for the French.

Oh and I mean the gowns! THE GOWNS!

And if you're in Paris you might still get a chance to see it at the Filmotheque; plus they're also doing an exhibition on Cocteau at the Cinematheque.

Annie Get Your Gun! The Fall 2013 Look Book

Annie Get Your Gun! is a vintage collection of  '70s prairie dresses, spiced up with Austrian 40s style cropped cardigans and a patchwork '50s skirt.

It borrows the name of the colorful 1950 George Sidney/Busby Berkeley musical and relies heavily on country/western imagery , as well as hippie Gunne Sax dresses and Joanna Newsom.

We shot in a wild corner of the Parc Floral, a beautiful botanical garden located in the Bois de Vincennes, as well as along the Seine towards Nanterre. The concept was to find tall grass and autumn vegetation as much as possible, in order to give it a more wild look. The result is a modern take on hippies and cowgirls, in a vague nameless urban surrounding.

The items will start appearing online as of Friday, so keep an eye on the shop.

Also, there are 4 days left to enter the GIVEAWAY  if you haven't already!

Monday Musings : Les coquettes sales

A friend once introduced me to a very specific term used for a certain breed of artsy French girls - les coquettes sales. His definition was - ''well, you know, like the girls who would change their stockings but not their underwear''. Such a French thing to do!

As much as this may apply to les filles de Beaux Arts, I think that just having a term which literally means dirty chic chicks says a lot about French culture.

I'm not trying to make this into a bad thing - I actually enjoy the generally accepted sloppiness. I still am shocked by the mix of Vuitton bags and runs in stockings, dirty fingernails and a little bit of too much BO coming from the guys, but it feels a little bit more real than the plastic perfect American/English norm.

I have to admit I feel somewhat less out of place here than in Romania, who seems to conform to the Anglo-Saxon canon of beauty and style; I mean, you can't go out to take the trash without wearing make up, are you crazy or something?!

Even when I go back to visit now, most of the time I do feel like the poorest/worst dressed person in most hip places. I don't think that has anything to do with my style or clothes choice as much as with the often excessive make up/hair styling embraced by the majority of the female population (that's another reason why discovering Daria's blog was such a refreshing change).

Besides their eternal cigarette in hand (thank God they banned smoking in bars here! when is it going to happen for public places too? Finland style anyone? hint hint ), the French girl's statement accessory are her red lips.

I barely wear any make up for year now, although I have to admit that I started wearing dramatic red lips since I moved here. When it comes down to it, a touch of red lipstick can elevate any outfit and excuse any bad hair or wrinkly dress. Sure, I need to check my pocket mirror every 5 minutes and look at my teeth and if I have to eat something I just wipe it off and rarely apply it again, but for the time it stays on it feels great.

But their ultimate accessory is probably the attitude - the smutty pout, the superiority, the whole je n'en fou. As terribly annoying as it may be, it's a large part of what makes the French so attractive and stylish and, ultimately, lets them get away with pretty much any sartorial faux pas.

And that, my friends can't be learned or bought.



PS - don't forget about our  GIVEAWAY and the new look book on Wednesday! 

Fall 2013 Look Book Preview : Annie Get Your Gun!

       Hello everyone! 

Hope you had a nice weekend.

Here are the promised shots from the upcoming Last Tango in Paris fall look book, heavily inspired by Western imagerie and early Joanna Newsom in Gunne Sax dresses.
I still have a lot of editing to do as we always take too many photos and then it takes me FOREVER to pick, choose and pimp.

The final selection should be up by Tuesday Wednesday, then all these lovely prairie dresses and 40s inspired Austrian cardigans should be in the shop no later than Friday, as I still need to re-iron all the clothes and take proper dress form pics (and yes, it's a drag! but such a fancy one nonetheless).

In the meanwhile don't forget to enter the GIVEAWAY for a shot at vintage goodies!