Carpet-Baggers

To whom it may concern (and Carpet-Baggers),

     2012 was a year of economic recession in America; countless people lost their jobs and homes. It seemed that many citizens had lost sight of their dreams and given up on pursuing happiness. 

     Meanwhile, the fashion industry was named one of the few surviving businesses from the market crash. For the luxury business, it became hard to cater to spendy spenders that had become conservative with their money. 

     But leave it up to Marc Jacobs to make a line that came from a dream-induced-state and was much about being fun! Marc Jacobs' Fall 2012 collection has been considered to be the child of: Mary Poppins-Dr.Seuss-Pilgrim-Jewish Fashion and of course, Carpet Bagger Chic.

     I don't know exactly how that baby was birthed...but nonetheless! This is a prime example of how fashion can spread smiles when things seem a bit darker. 

     

I must admit, this collection has almost been an obsession lately! To experience the fun and  let-loose side of fashion is rather new to me (as I am used to designers such as Rick Owens, Thierry Mugler and Alexndre Plokhov).

But I have heard that it is always nice to try on a new hat every once in a while...so -->

I took a trip to the fabric store a couple blocks down. Although I had trouble finding the 'perfect' fabric, I worked with what I found. When I got back to my apartment, I had an evil grin on my face before I got to work. Overall, it took me about two hours to make the hat, and that's about the same amount of time individuals on the street have spent looking at it.

Though it is a rather hard piece to pull off, it's brought some smiles to people in the city. And as far as I can tell, I look about as happy as a Carpet-Bagger in the recession! :D   The hats from the runway cost thousands of dollars and seem to have the availability of Alexander McQueen's Armadillo Heels. However, making them from scratch is inexpensive and is readily available! 

For those of you who are curious to know how to make a monster, I will be posting a how-to tutorial on the topic soon!



P.S.- Here are some extra photos of the newest hat I've made (it's faux fur by the way!).

Also, here as some of my favorite looks and details from the Marc Jacobs Fall 2012 show (source: http://www.style.com/fashion-shows/fall-2012-ready-to-wear/marc-jacobs/)

            

                     

           

            

                  

Aesthetics

   

   There is boundless shopping here in Chicago. If you go down the deepest depths of Michigan Avenue, you'll find yourself surrounded by the leading names in the high-fashinon industry. Similar to a cave, there are rare finds on this street. Despite the well known brands such as Gucci, Michael Kors, and Burberry, the rare finds are tucked deep in the cavern a block away from Michigan Avenue. 

Ann Demeulemeester men's vest

   One of these shops is Gallery Aesthete (pronounced: 'es, THeet) They offer a wide variety of Avant-garde, particularly French, designers. These include: Rick Owens, Comme Des Garcons Homme Plus and Raf Simons. Many months ago, I went to a fashion show that was staged at a furniture boutique (Luminaire) a little bit outside the Chicago Loop. The appeal of the Gallery Aesthete clothing boutique is a unique fusion of contemporary art and victorian romanticism. To put it in another perspective: Edgar Allan Poe pursues a visual art degree in the year 2013. 

Rick Owens men's shoes

Rick Owens Men's Winter 2012 'Megacowl' shirt

   It was pretty nice  mingling among the  other people who  don't dress all  too…normally? I  mean considering  that most of  people I met  reside in the heart of the city, 'normal' is a bit of an ambiguous word. Nonetheless, seeing the way others wore their pieces I've seen on the runway made me want to go back into the closet and play dress up (I like to consider myself discreet that way haha). The clothing and the way it was worn was very artistic and wonderful to gaze upon and so were the men who were wearing them!
 

   I got a couple compliments on the pair of nose rings (see 'Godly Mucus' post) I brought and I received many compliments on the magnetic

Photo credit: Bon Magazine #61
Summer 2012

horn gauges I made! They were made as a direct reference to the magnetic earpiece in Givenchy's Winter 2012 Menswear line. Although I ended up taking off the jewels and wearing it bare, it made a bold statement. If you are curious as to how I made them, here is the DIY post I used as a guide: http://runwaydiy.com/2012/01/17/diy-givenchy-horn-earrings/. I absolutely love the way Miu Tu Tu paired the earrings in her picture by the way! The contrast of a dark statement accessory and a calm, beautiful and well tailored outfit is very much the way to go. 

Here's the outfit I wore

   After an hour or so, we all went downstairs to a more spacious furniture showroom where the outline of the runway was precisely marked by grey duct-tape. The beginning of the walk was shrouded by a couple tiers of hanging cloth which had an obscure looping video projected on it.

  

    Everybody had to cram in claustrophobically close together, but enough so everybody could see. 

     The fashion show was a blur to me in the end.

                 

Considering the lighting, the quality of my iPhone 4 and the reluctancy to remember flash photography, it actually was a blur.