Infinity is just a string of polka dots

I've never seen something that spells total design, fashion and art in such a way! Trompe l'oeil to the max!
Yayoi Kusama is just beyond awesome. And Shawn Mortensen's photo of her manages to capture her obsession with polka dots and the polka dot infinity nets in the best manner possible. I remember reading a NY Times article about her some time ago- she is a super star in Japan (and all over the world) but lives in a psychiatric hospital.

Photo credit: Shawn Mortensen, shawnmortensen.org

Sniff, sniff

Yesterday I scored a really good deal: I got a bag full of Lush products for 10 euros (normall price would have been around 50!). I was showing it to my classmates (girls) and they were all going crazy, smelling all the jasmin, ginger, candy, orange, coconut or milk and brandy scented soaps ( I told you it was a biig bag!). Then one of my guy friends comes over, curious what all the fuss was about. "Yuck, crazy scented soaps! I hate the store where you got them from, it gives me headaches! What's wrong with you girls?" And he isn't the only guy showing his distaste for scented soaps, scented candles, sachets etc. most women love. However, I've always been complimented by men for the way I smell. And untill recently, I was surrounded by men of all ages (including my own dad) obsessed with all sorts of cosmetics and ready to even recomend you a nice smelling and effective product. But now, I don't get it anymore. Is the age of the metrosexual coming to an end?

Size issues

No, I'm not going to switch to writing about sex. After all, this isn't Cosmo magazine. Instead I'll talk about clothes (no surprise here, huh?), pretty fashionable ones.

This Sunday I was grocery shopping in one of Amsterdam's open air markets. (Little side note: I'm living in Amsterdam right now, after spending half of last year in Arhus, Denmark.) I reach into my wallet to pay for my tomatoes when I discovered I had left all my cash back home. So, off I go in search of an ATM. However, I get sidetracked from my "quest" when I see an American Apparel store. Now don't get me wrong, I'm definitely not one of those hipsters who couldn't live without AA gold lame leggings. In fact, when I used to live in the US I thought AA was just another over-hyped and over-priced store. But...this one had this dress in it's windows:

Ever since I saw it on the Sartorialist I thought it was just amazing. Sure, it's a great picture and the woman wearing the dress is stunning, but the dress itself is hotttt! Besides, it reminded me of the little white & blue stripped dress I got as a teenager and of the new feeling of confidence and power it instilled in me. That was it! A decision had been made! Screw the price, I wanted, no, I needed that dress! I go inside the store, completely ignoring the ethereal sales girls giving the stink eye to my tattered jeans, t-shirt and Converse combo. I head straight to the rack where the dresses are. I grab a size small..."Omg, is it made for Barbies?". No way I could fit into it. Undeterred, I take a medium size and go to change. I wriggle into it not as easy as I thought. I look at myself in the mirror and the result isn't the sexy, confident glamazon like in the Sartorialist picture but something more like this:

Shocked, I keep checking the tag for mistakes, but no, it is a size Medium. I'm already angry but I decide to try on a size Large, just for the sake of it (or out of sheer masochism, maybe). Yep, the Large kind of fits but it still looks like I could use some breathing space.

Now a lot of fashionistas would, after reading my account, imagine I'm in denial about my weight and picture this kind of scenario:

However, I'm 1,71 metres and 56 kilogrames (after the incident, I weighed and measured myself for accuracy) or 5.6 and 124 pounds. Nowhere near a model, but perfectly healthy and average, even fit. And anyway, even if I were heavier, who's to say I wasn't allowed to get a nice dress in my size without feeling like a stuffed sausage?

I left the AA store a bit sad my lovely dress casting its siren call from the window proved to be a disappointment. But I'm still thinking: what the hell is up with AA sizes? Luckily I am a grown up who has no body image issues. But what about all the teenagers that make up most of the AA clientelle? Will they end up thinking they're fat or unshapely if they're the equivalent of a European size 38? My visit to the American Apparel store started with a recollection of my teenage glory days and ended up with a rememberance of all the teenage angst, insecurities and anxieties.

Well, all reet, well, all root, well, all right

http://www.style.com/slideshows/fashionshows/S2009RTW/DGABBANA/RUNWAY/00270m.jpg

"Step out with a zoot suit, with a drape shape and a reet pleat.
Wear an ankle length jacket with 3 foot shoulders, pants that begin at the chin, zoom to a 54 inch knee, then fade softly to a 3 inch victory cuff.
Get hip. Get one. Get lost in a new zoot suit."

The possible inspiration for this Dolce & Gabanna look:


Great in times of economic depression! Now where did I put those clothes hangers?

Fashion is for idiots (like us)

Spotted in Copenahagen, while strolling around with my friends:


Fashion is for idiots (like us)

"We're all slaves to fashion
We're all fucking idiots.
Sometimes

Mary had a little lamb
but like the rest of the
flock it ended up at
the slaughter house...
only dead fish follow
the stream...
blah, blah, blah.

But true.

Mass uniformity will
never get us noticed,
admired or desired.

Individuality
is what turns heads...
gets us laid...
brings home the bread
blah, blah, blah.

But true.

Let's dare to go green
when the rest go red.
Let's dare to use a
different compass to
navigate us to
a different conclusion.
Let's dare to stand out.

Let's do it now!"

Unsurprisingly, the t shirts aren't by some big fashion house but by an ad agency, Reputation. Great work!

Karamel Karl anyone?

"He lives in a house, a very big house in the countreee...Oh, it's like an animal farm, that's the rural charm, in the countreee" says a song from my teenage years.
And now it seems to be the refrain of choice for Karl Lagerfeld who announced backstage at his Chanel show that he just bought a house on Lake Champlain, in Vermont. I am so jealous! After spending one year in Vermont I have to admit it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen but...I'm afraid Kaiser Karl might have a heart attack after seeing all the hippies and sport addicts and realizing that Vermonters care more about the latest snowboarding gear than about the latest IT bag. But who knows- maybe we'll see a Chanel show where the footwear is inspired by snowshoes and the clothes from what UVM students wear during their finals :)
And a collaboration with Ben and Jerry's is always welcome. Mmmm, "Karamel Karl"- it doesn't sound too bad, no?

Street style and globalization

How can some people blog at least once a day? I haven't blogged in months and yes, partly the blame falls on my laziness but to be honest, I've also been busy. Since my last post on this blog I've spent a month traveling around Mexico with my friends and have moved to Denmark. And, what struck me, besides the obvious culture shock, price differences, food and language etc. is how distinct street fashions can be. You'd think that with global trends and "fast fashion" being available in malls worldwide the streets would be filled with similarly dressed people. I used to think that in 10 or 15 years I'd look at old pictures from any street style blog, smile and say: Omg! That's sooo 2008! Now, I'm not so certain. Because I've realized that while it's true that street fashion reflects global currents (you can find emos and hipsters in absolutely any corner of the world) they also reflect a national or maybe a local identity.
Like most people, I tended to dismiss Romania as a country with no style or maybe just filled with a lot of pitzipoance (aka valley girls aka chavs). Actually, if you take a look at street style blogs such as http://www.urbnstyle.blogspot.com/ you'd realize that most stylish Romanians like colorful clothes, a bit on the hippie side, are fond of matching their accessories, like looking polished but also value their comfort. I'd also say most girls fancy a sweet, feminine look rather than an overtly sexy one.
Most of my friends would associate Mexico with folk blouses, bold colors and jewelry and flower in the hair styling a la Frida Kahlo. But, if you actually visit most of Mexican cities you'd find a pretty vibrant urban style. It's true, they love color but they use it on cool t shirts matched with form fitting jeans and edgy haircuts. Just take a look at http://ciudadlaberinto.info/, http://www.deepcitydive.blogspot.com / or http://www.diariodefiestas.blogspot.com/.
Finally, Denmark where they love their leggings and their skinny jeans, are addicted to scarves, where boys seem to put as much effort into their outfits as girls and where sleek, muted Scandinavian style shows its face even when it comes to a simple tank top. See for yourself at http://www.copenhagenstreetstyle.dk/ or at http://www.gademode.dk/ (Aarhus maybe small, but it's a student town therefore packed with cool style).
Where do I position myself in the end? I'd love to say my own personal style is a mix and match of all these but I am afraid currently it's more of student on a budget style, than anything.
Anyway, at least when it comes to fashion the conclusion is that globalization comfortably co-exists with regional and individual style.