:: GussetBLOG ::

:: Monday, February 15, 2010 ::

RIP McQueen

Alexander McQueen's suicide last week came as a shock to me. I was a massive fan of his designs and will miss the left-field thinking, way-out designs, theatrical displays and humour he brought to the fashion world. Once you hear about the death of his mother the week before, remember Isabella Bow's suicide last year, and read any of the many other opinion pieces in any given paper the surprise will diminish, but the loss is no smaller.

Ignorant neigh sayers and fashion haters may have used the occasion to shout abuse about him having deserved it simply for having worked in fashion, and all sorts of conspiracy theories have started crawling out of the woodwork. For example, in the Beeb's Six ways Alexander McQueen changed fashion you'll see someone has commented, "Why no mention of the enormous amount of satanic symbolism in his designs?" as if it were one of the most significant things he had done.

Intrigued enough to see what evidence there was of this a quick google led my inevitably to the Lada Ga Ga forum, catalyst of some of the most whacked out celebrity conspiracies theories on the net. There we find out that by using a pentagram on the runway and his use of chess pieces in his chess themed show (how else?) shows "satanic Illuminati symbolism everywhere. I'm not saying he was mind controlled or programmed but he was definitely into the occult."

It sounds like bollocks to me but I know I loved his work. The two videos above are great examples of his work although I'd also urge you to (re)watch his robotic work and engineering, this retrospective, and his Bjork video. I'm sure we will still be feeling his influence for years to come.

R.I.P.

Labels: Fashion, RIP

:: Dan 15.2.10 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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What sort of man wears mantyhose?
"Skinny trousers for men are everywhere. But how many will take the trend for figure-hugging legwear one step beyond, and wear tights? We road-test the look."
The video is well worth a watch for the reactions. And this is nothing like as eye-catching at the man tights from We Love Colors

Audio slideshow: Art and politics in China
"As China marks the 60th anniversary of Communist rule, Katie Hill, Senior Lecturer in Contemporary Chinese Art at the University of Westminster in London, looks at how art has moved from the realm of propaganda to the international marketplace."

Dark Nostalgia
"A new tome by design correspondent Eva Hagberg, Dark Nostalgia coins a nickname for the cozy vintage trend in interiors."
Click through for some great interior images.


Fisheye gives new route to perfect images
"A fisheye lens proposed over a century ago can produce perfectly focused images without using any exotic "negative refractive index" materials, a physicist in the UK has calculated."

Pop Life at Tate Modern: the glorification of greed?
"The new Tate Modern show puts a post-Warholian generation of artists, adept at self-promotion and at ease in the world of mass media and commerce, into an art-historical context"

Labels: Art, China, Design, Fashion, Physics

:: Dan 4.10.09 [Arc] [1 comments] ::
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Things I didn't find time to write about this week:

Flow-based organizations can grow an archive with microblogging

Blasphemy laws in the 21st century

Plan to use jumping lice in battle against Japanese knotweed

The H-Word
Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Word "Hipster"
by Chas Bowie
[via null device]

Pigeons in aerial photography

Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore: The definitive view of British nightlife
"the best days of your lives will be wiped away by a change in fashion"

Fine Waters: Comprehensive Resource of Bottled Water of the World
Etiquette for Drinking Temperature:
"Serving all waters at the same temperature, let’s say 55 degrees Fahrenheit, will nicely show their differences. A slight increase in temperature will have a calming effect on waters with larger, louder bubbles. In general, the colder the water, the more focused it will be.Water can be served at almost any temperature, but knowing how to manipulate temperature will allow you to better pair the waters with food and establish a true epicurean dialogue."
Or you could serve it ice cold and some people like to serve it at 100 degrees C with an infusion of leaves.
[thanks Jules]

Labels: Ecology, Environment, Fashion, Music, Photography, Religion, Water, Wildlife

:: Dan 8.8.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Woman walking through the city centre today wearing odd crocs, ffs. As if wearing crocs isn't bad enough, as if buying TWO PAIRS of the fucking things isn't reason enough to have someone committed, she decided to go out wearing one yellow one and one orange one.

Labels: Fashion, Humour, Spotted

:: Dan 3.8.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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"These boots by Adbusters are made from hemp and used car tyres. They are supposed to resemble Converse All- Stars, yet are trade- mark free. Selling over twenty-five thousand pairs, the campaign strives to undermine the premise that global business' sometimes require the use of sweatshops through necessity."



Timberland - Earthkeepers Renovation - Dark Brown



Nigel's Eco Store Eco Friendly Shoes and Footwear



Simple Shoes



Zoe and Zac (although Summer Rayne Oakes seems slightly annoying)



Melissa Ultra Clear Eco-Chic Jellies New in the InhabitatShop



Melito Classic Heel from Green UK Fashion



Inhabitat sustainable style winter 08 round-up
Handy if you know any ninjas.

Labels: Environment, Fashion

:: Dan 25.7.09 [Arc] [1 comments] ::
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Recycled cardboard speakers, a must have for the world wary self-conscious hipster.

It was also pointed out to me, after making my cardboard pinhole camera from Magma, that Urban Outfitters also sale them, although not the same model. They have a nice range of Lomos and related goodies too.

But somehow it rankles with me how stylishly it's all dressed up.

Labels: Acoustics, Environment, Fashion, Photography

:: Dan 27.5.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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You may have seen the World of Harajuku Lovers Fragrance ads around on bus stops and such recently. Whenever I see these the imagery and the colour palette make me think of Burtie Basset and Dr Who's lazy unimaginative Happiness Patrol villain. Like so...










See.

Labels: Advertising, Fashion, Humour, Sci-Fi, Vison

:: Dan 16.5.09 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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In a return to my occasional series on unusual magazines found lying around in the office kitchen, I am now a convert to Engineering and Technology magazine.

For a start, here are some interesting links from October’s fashion and technology special:
A new breed of robot
Catwalk goes techno
Haute tech couture



And the current issue is a Lego special!
Building on a dynasty
Play for tomorrow
Lego for life
Inventors’ inbox
Falling for technology
Diy society
Child's play
And more

From the DIY Society article:
www.modumobile.com
www.buglabs.net
wiki.openmoko.org
www.openhandsetalliance.com
www.sand-labs.org
www.gumstix.com
I hadn't realised how far the open handware movement had got!

Labels: DIY, Engineering, Fashion, FOSS, Lego, Technology

:: Dan 10.3.09 [Arc] [1 comments] ::
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Betraying the fact that I was away on work most of last week the yawning gap in posts is now filled with a link dump of Radio 4 listening and Independent articles that I collected whilst on the road:

The Moral Maze - Should a person's political views ever disqualify them from doing a job?

"This week the Moral Maze asks should a person's political views ever disqualify them from doing a job?

"Some members of the BNP in professions like the police and prison service, face losing their job after the leaking of the party's membership list. While others, for example, teachers will not.

"Where do we draw the lines over freedom of belief and expression?

"Should we have a right not to be offended or have we lost our nerve over freedom of expression and are we becoming a more intolerant, illiberal society?"

Very interesting listening, it's a massive grey area. I found myself sat in a carpark for 20min listening to this as I didn't want to miss any of it when I was checking into a hotel.

Woman found guilty in 'cyber-bully' case

"A housewife who posed as a teenage boy to send hostile emails to a neighbour's daughter was found guilty yesterday of several minor charges related to the "cyber-bullying" that prompted the girl's suicide.

"The case made legal history because it revolved around charges that Ms Drew lied on the fake MySpace profile, violating the site's terms of service which require users to provide "truthful and accurate" registration information.

"Ms Drew had throughout the trial denied that she was using her computer when the fateful, final message to Megan was sent. While she knew of the existence of "Josh Evans", she claimed the hostile emails were sent by her daughter, Sarah, and several friends."

Yes, that's right. Blame your own daughter. Nice one.
RIP

The phone that says bling bling

"Frank Nuovo cradles in his palm what is, if not the world's most costly mobile phone, then perhaps its most elegantly conceived. It's the Vertu Boucheron 150, designed by Nuovo himself, a dapper, serious Californian whose passion for his product is entirely unapologetic. Formerly head of design at Nokia, he is the founder and chief designer of Vertu, the world's leading maker of luxury mobile phones."

I commented on these back in 2005 and apparently showed myself to be a lowlife (see comments). My opinion hasn't changed.


Crusher
Originally uploaded by gusset.

How turtles got their shells

"The fossilised remains of an ancient reptile that lived 220 million years ago may have solved the puzzle of how the turtle got its shell and, in the process, cleared up one of the most enduring mysteries of animal evolution.

"The latest discovery, made by palaeontologists excavating in China's fossil-rich province of Guizhou, shows that the shell of the turtle evolved from bony growths that expanded from the spine and ribs, rather than the merging of bony plates found in the skin of some reptiles."

Labels: evolution, Fashion, Law, Liberty, science, Secuirty

:: Dan 2.12.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Following my link to Dark Daze' / Dead Dead Dead's zombie shoot last week, check out this shoot for INSA heels




Interview

Labels: Fashion, Photography

:: Dan 15.11.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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There is probably NO GOD, so stop worrying and enjoy your life
Atheist Bus Merchandise available now

Labels: Atheism, Fashion, Humour, Religion

:: Dan 12.11.08 [Arc] [1 comments] ::
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Katy Perry's Gusset
Originally uploaded by gusset.


I was reading someone else's Metro over their shoulder on the bus last night when this photo caught my eye. I love the way the pedals at the front make it look like some dancer is in the middle of some extreme noise improvisation performance. In fact, it's just Katy Perry having a wardrobe malfunction near a guitarist, but I prefer the noise idea. Maybe she consider it as a back up career.

Labels: Fashion, Gusset

:: Dan 12.11.08 [Arc] [2 comments] ::
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The love of tentacles
Found this when looking for joke tentacle images but I've got to admit it looks pretty good.



It's all Hijack's fault.

Labels: Fashion, Fetish, Food

:: Dan 17.10.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Bamboo panties are really ever soy saucy

"Knickers made from bamboo and soy have been launched as part of an eco-friendly underwear collection. Designer Joanna Ketterer [of Luva Huva]said the garments are super soft and 'not only beautiful but ethically sound'. The fabric for the lingerie is made from the pulp of bamboo grass which resembles unspun cotton and can be woven and dyed."

Labels: Environment, Fashion

:: Dan 27.8.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Rights, here's another fashion observation I can't get my head around. Firstly, I saw a girl on the bus last week who was wearing a fashionably distressed denim mini-skirt OVER a pair of jeans. I dismissed this as a freak occurrence until Monday, when I saw someone walking through the centre wearing a pair of mid-thigh blue denim shorts over a pair of black drain-pipe jeans. This should not be allowed.

Labels: Fashion, Humour, Spotted

:: Dan 20.8.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Marianne Maric and her awesome lamp girls at yatzer

Labels: Fashion, Photography

:: Dan 26.7.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Asymmetric Leggings. Spotted on a woman walking down Cheltenham Road this morning.
One to the knee, one mid-calf.
Fashion icon? Freak? Accident?

Labels: Fashion, Spotted

:: Dan 2.7.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Wtf is the world coming to?
And do I even need to mention how appalling that photoshop is?
Although it does look quite impressive on billboards it doesn't stand up to any scrutiny.

ghd

Labels: Advertising, Fashion

:: Dan 26.6.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Lily takes a trip
Originally uploaded by Keroles.


stern Fotografie : Tim Walker

Loads more shots on his agent's site

The Sunday Times - The Dreamcatcher


[image via]

Walker is famed for his very British, Alice-in-Wonderland aesthetic. He has shot Erin O’Connor as a goose, Lily Cole as a peacock girl standing awkwardly on a mantelpiece in a dilapidated mansion, a redcoated Otis Ferry crammed into a tiny room with a pack of beagles.

The Guardian - Tim Walker's best shot



'A lot of people get confused when they see this image. They think it was done by computer, but we actually took pigment powder, mixed it with talc to get the right ice-cream pastel colours, and brushed it into the cats. ... they were so vain they loved it. ... There wasn't enough light to do the picture indoors - but, by a fluke, all the cats seemed to gravitate to this clematis at the bottom of some steps. I didn't arrange them. This is just what the cats did, and they all pretty much stayed where they were throughout. So it's actually quite a naturalistic portrait - apart from the colour.'

Pictures, an exhibition of Tim Walker photographs, is at the Design Museum, London SE1, until September 7. His book of the same name is available now.

Edit: More images from the Lily Takes a Trip shoot

Labels: Art, Cats, Fashion, Photography

:: Dan 18.6.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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Originally uploaded by n i k a.

It's a little out of focus but I really like the colours and the composition of this picture from n i k a, found on flickr.

Labels: Fashion, Flickr

:: Dan 25.5.08 [Arc] [0 comments] ::
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