Foil Methadone

    Burberry was established in 1856. The brand is known for having created the trench-coat and the "Burberry check" pattern. In the 157 years that the name has existed, Burberry has become a powerhouse in ready-to-wear fashion. Christopher Bailey, the brand's Creative Director, has recreated the classic trench-coat in many variations, and modernized the 19th century company. 

 Nonetheless, they make some friggin' hot clothes. 

   Considering that this dress shirt is laminated cotton, it's really friggin' hot out just wearing it!
   I definitely have a lot of fun wearing this piece because it's a bold statement. Not to mention the general population's fascination with shiny clothing.
   When I first saw the shirt, I was certain it was a techno-fabric, being woven from a plethora of different metallic, plastic, and silk threads. However, I looked at the Spring 2011 show by Armani Prive (a show that laid the foundation for the use of techno-fabrics), and there was a stark difference between the two fabrics. 

 
   The fabric from Burberry Prorsum looks lighter, and resembles paper or foil. Whereas the Armani Prive fabric appears heavy, resembles liquid mercury and seems to have the thickness of a silk-satin blend.  

   When I received my shirt from my very good friend JuJU, I was absolutely enthralled! Like seeing any work of art or craftsmanship, I stared at it for quite a while. 
   I was curious though, I went to the Burberry Flagship here in Chicago, and the guy I spoke with said that there is a heat-pressing lamination process that takes place when making the shirt. 

   When I researched this process the first thing I came across was: tablecloths. I could see that fabric being used in the future with some modern designers.

   Nonetheless, the laminate coating is applied in what I'm assuming would be a hot mess of a process. The cotton itself doesn't have a color other than plain white (as seen on the inside). It's the laminate that produces the color. The Burberry shirt is wearable and breathable (when I wear a cotton t-shirt underneath), whereas a tablecloth would have your skin looking like an old man after one day of wearing. 

   How that works out is a mystery to me. Typical laminated cotton uses a polyurethane coating, and Burberry has their secret ways.

   Also- the flagship store recently had a great 60% off sale for the season and I bought a pair of metallic leather sandals from the collection. My brother sensibly called them 'Jesus Sandals' and from that point on I've called them 'Disco-Jesus Sandals.'
   It's hard to pull off the look without black socks, but I'll try to manage it one summer!

Some places are like people: some shine and some don't.- The Shining  

Arte

   My family and I used to go to the Art Institute of Chicago very often when I was growing up. Then my siblings and I started to get older and eventually we didn't make as many trips Downtown as we used to. 

   But now that I live Downtown, I get to take many friends and family to the Art Institute. Although all the pieces are art within themselves, I enjoy creating my own rendition of them via camera.

   All of the works I have taken pictures of are in the Modern Art Wing of the Art Institute.

   Much of the artworks are very deceiving in appearance. The one to the right of this text is not a photograph, it's an oil painting on canvas. When looked at closely the painting, Woman Descending the Staircase by Gerhard Richter, seems to be smeared.There were two other works by this painting that used a similar technique, but not so flawlessly as this painting. I will have you know, though, that the camera is in focus. The painting is made to look like an out-of-focus photo. 

When I first saw these works I thought of Jackson Pollack and tv static in technicolr. As perused the paintings, almost sticking my nose up to them, I wanted to touch them and feel the layers of acrylic and their gritty texture. 

It also reminded me of a couple pieces from the recent Balenciaga Fall 2013 collection. From what I know, these sweaters are painted with a thin coat of acrylic and allowed to dry. After they are solid, the fabric is then contorted and distressed to make the paint crack. The achieved effect is meant to replicate marble tiles, as seen on the catwalk the models walked on.

     Here are some more pictures I took in the Modern Wing. All these works are classified as Contemporary, according to "The Essential Guide" for the Art Institute of Chicago.

Model Behaviour- Travis Smith

Well I, like any other homosexual man, enjoy admiring the beauty that Adam (minus Eve) has brought into the world. Observe below: 

So, this is going to be a recurring feature in my blog entitled Model Behaviour. My focus is going to be to feature models that most people don't know of, or don't know much about.

This is Travis Smith. I don't know him personally, but I wouldn't mind getting to know him! 
He is from Hawaii and was scouted at the Ala Moana shopping center.
Being that he's a Hawaiian native, he has surfed all of his life.
Despite his purely handsome features he is a mutt. Hungarian, Scottish, Irish, English, and German make up his ethnic background.
Like some other models, he has a blog. His blog is: http://triggtrog.tumblr.com
Travis Smith definitely has the 'surfer dude' look. Some other models that have a similar resemblance are: Miles McMillan and Ian Mellencamp. 









I don't know much about biblical text. However, I do know that Eve ate the apple from the Tree of Knowledge and she was royally screwed after that. So, that left Adam. And I'm pretty sure God said, "Ah!...men."

Boys of the Valley

   Well, the time has come for me to reveal my evil plans: I am writing a ballet. 
   I know, I know, I am very terrified as well. As I am still formulating the final product I will only disclose a few details.
   It is set in the beginning of time, on the coast of Ireland; all of the dancers are male, including Mother Nature; the ballet is very primal and grave, at times there involves: an unwilling sacrifice, mating in a very aggressive manner, and running to the edge of the world to keep the sun from setting. 
   
   The audio clip below, is a section of the ballet entitled: Fighting Sundown. Amidst the craziness of living with prepubescent boys in the middle of nowhere, the sun sets. Being that they are primal in nature, the boys believe the world is coming to an end. They run to the edge of the world and beg for Mother Nature's mercy. 
   Despite the audio's timidness, it is a loud section of the work so please...crank up the volume!

   

Seattle: in no particular order

Givenchy Nose Rings- Godly Mucus

  In the words of Coco Chanel, "I wanted to cover women in constellations! Stars! Stars of all sizes..."







     This quote was taken from the Comete section of the Chanel 80th Anniversary High Jewelry Line--GASP...sorry, just a mouthful. 
     Unsurprisingly, the stars have found their way to fashion. From Chanel to Dolce & Gabanna's Fall 2011 collection, the runway sees a shooting comet every now and then.
     However, the conception of the universe and it's sparkle is a mystery. Many cultures have answered this question in their stories, and I believe Riccardo Tisci did so with his Menswear Fall 2012 collection for Givenchy.

     The thought of "God" as a spiritual being with powers beyond our conception has lead me to think of this story: Up in the heavens, God lived on his chair of clouds. All that existed was the clouds the surrounded him. One day, a swift wind came about and tickled his nose. With much power, God sneezed and created what scientists call "The Big Bang." The stars and galaxies were conceived...and suspended below God's nose was a star leftover. 
Yeah, I think Riccardo Tisci and I are on the same page haha!

   This was the second most tedious fashion project I've done (the first being a t-shirt embroidered with black feathers on a shoulder), but it worked out well. I had a failed first attempt, then reworked my plan and it turned swimingly...after 2 hours of balancing little jewels and super-gluing them :O
     If you're curious as to how to make them here's your answer: I purchased a spool of armature wire (if you want a thicker wire, choose a low number gauge, vice versa) and wire cutters. In my first attempt, I tried to bend it solely with my fingers. Considering that the fingers aren't formed into a perfect circle, it was a challenge to make an even shape. So I found a hard cylindrical object (which I can't exactly recall for the life of me) and bent the wire around it. This was much easier and less time consuming.
   Once I had the shape, I began the tedious process of gluing on the jewels. The jewels are flatback swarovski rhinestones which I got from artbeads.com: http://www.artbeads.com/swarovski-flatbacks-rhinestones-hotfix.html. I placed superglue on the correlating place of the wire, then positioned the stones (which I also glued) on the part. The key in doing this was using minimal movement and making sure the gem was balanced as I held it until it was dry.
     It'll probably take a couple tries but it is well worth it! P.S.- I soldered the ends of the press-in part to eliminate irritation in the nose.

Left- nose ring in step two, right- modified Indian Bridal nose ring

Well, I hope that you enjoyed watching the stars. Just don't forget to pick them out of your nose.