Phreshly Squeezed

“Decepción” by Luis Gisbert at the Mary Boone Gallery

by Barb on October 22, 2011

Fake Coach interior

Tucked away from the bustle of Fifth avenue shoppers, the fourth floor of 745 Fifth Avenue is home to several galleries, including the Mary Boone, which I had the pleasure of visiting today. Though it was the last day for the exhibition that I had come to see, the space was empty unlike the Met in the last days of the Alexander McQueen exhibit. It was a sort of pleasantry in having the space to myself, to absorb what I had come to see – photographer Luis Gisbert’s exploration of the subculture of custom counterfeit fashion, Decpción.

In entering the space, I’m greeted with six or so large photographs mounted on canvas. They explore something quite remarkable that Gisbert had come across some time ago – a particularly small group of people who go out of their way to deck out their cars with faux fashion logos and fabrics. This in effect sparked his interest in documenting the bizarre uses of fraudulent iconography. Each of these canvases, apart from highlighting car interiors decked out in these counterfeit stylings, feature the car in a desolate and lonely place – whether it be a desert, tundra, or barren landscape. It is almost to say that this group is alone in their appreciation of false iconography as art.

Come into the second room and different photographs are shown – portraiture and objects. Two female portraits face one another in the small room, each woman donning a garment constructed out of counterfeit garb. Their gaze almost holds a challenging affect, seemingly asking the viewer if they would dare compliment something that is tailored, yet knowingly “false” in brand identity. The other two portraits conceal faces, leaving only the fake logos as the articulate piece. Drawing an interpretation for this set is difficult; does the lack of an identity (via) face mean that we strip the element of fashion and decoration, only to say that this is a textile for clothing? I am not quite sure.

But the most poignant of all the photographs is one of shredded fabric. That connotes a meaning that is perhaps quite clear – it is all fabric, branded or not, and at the end of day, we may simply reduce it to a point in which it all looks the same.

Fake Gucci car interior

Fake Fendi interior

Inside the Mary Boone Gallery for the Decepción exhibition

Images via maryboonegallery.com and Cool Hunting

Jeremy Laing SS12

by Barb on October 10, 2011

With the upcoming season of Toronto LG Fashion Week, I thought it would only be appropriate to share the highlights of Toronto-based Jeremy Laing’s SS12 collection. The Canadian designer has been known to show during NYFW for quite some seasons now, and this year showcased his latest collection at Milk Studios on an early Sunday morning. Despite the hall not reaching its usual full capacity (it seems that many had flocked to the Lela Rose show at the Lincoln Center, which was at the same time), notable editors sat front row.

Differentiating himself from the usual brights and lightness that one associates with spring and summer, Laing opted for a more down-to-earth palette and bohemian attitude. Mind you, the textiles still flowed elegantly away from the body as the models walked down the runway, and the rich earthy tones provided a nice and neutral counter to the brights that we have been seeing. Asymmetrical motifs and and subtle patterns added that necessary element of decoration to a collection. In essence, the designs created an air of a bohemian trekker, with Laing’s signature volumnious silhouettes.

That said, one has to be in a mindset different from we have prepared ourselves, in terms of viewing summer and spring collections, to appreicate the collection; otherwise one can easily find him or herself not as excited by the collection. But in any case, the pieces and designs are solid, and are a great alternative for the more low-key woman.

Jeremy Laing SS12 final walk

Pink Tartan SS12

by Barb on September 23, 2011

Pink Tartan SS12

With a lot of my coverage posted online and shuttling myself between shows and school, I haven’t had the chance to dissect some of my highlights on here. With the images already on my desktop shrunken in file size, perhaps it is best to start off with Canadian favourite Pink Tartan.

The Lincoln Centre’s most two popularly used spaces are the Studio and the Box. The Studio is where one can locate many of the shows, with the exception of a few which are featured in the Stage or the Theatre. For those that lean more towards the presentation format either for aesthetic or financial reasons, one has the Box. The space can get rather cramped quickly, so it is up to the designer on how to best use the space effectively in the one-hour time frame. And Pink Tartan’s Kim Newport did just that.

In a rotational set-up, four models were presented at a time and stood for pictures at each vertex of the quadrilateral stage. It is a lot simpler than I have just attempted to explain. Despite the cool weather that was ushering itself in, Newport’s designs offered a throwback not only into the hip 50s and 60s but also to a light summer day. Popping oranges and reds matched its decade reference with cat-eye sunglasses and relaxing French soundtrack.

Apart from the bright colours that have dominated the palettes of many designers for the upcoming season, the play on textures and patterns offered variety, which are best communicated through visuals. The lighting was perfect for my point-and-shoot (yes, all my shots on this site have been from a point-and-shoot) and permitted me some fantastic shots.

For those of you that want to experience the collection live, Pink Tartan will be showing again at Toronto’s upcoming LG Fashion Week in mid October.