More from Big Thaw 
Here are some songs I’ve been putting together. Hope you enjoy them.
More from Big Thaw
Big Thaw
Have been working on some music under the moniker Big Thaw. Hopefully I’ll have something up on myspace.com soon. For now, Warren Ellis has been kind enough to include my song blue-devil factory in The 4am.
Sandra Backlund’s Ink Blot Test
The newest collection from Sandra Backlund, “Ink Blot Test”:
photo by Peter Farago
Distinctive Coats from the a/w 2007-8 Collections
While not all are entirely wearable, the following coats and jackets stand out for structure, innovation or just because I would love to wear them.
Everlasting Sprout’s Charm Collection
The attraction to Everlasting Sprout’s a/w 2007-8 “Charm” collection is due as much to the idea behind the looks as to the skillfully worked knitwear itself. Keiichi Muramatsu and Noriko Seki explain that what inspired them for this collection, “…was a series of pictures taken by Eugène Atget. The pictures capture the old streets of Paris, but more importantly the light that has been enclosed in the pictures gave us a lot of inspiration. The main idea is the scene in which one man falls in love with one girl. The girl is so beautiful that she is shining, even in a black and white picture.”
Endhouse Angst
I apologize for not updating the website more often, but for the past couple of months I’ve been working on a comic, “Endhouse Angst”. Hopefully my art will improve with time…
Koji Arai Last Supper Exhibition
If you’re in Japan between now and June 3rd Koji Arai’s “Last Supper” exhibit is on at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa:
Paradise Kiss
Living in Atlanta for three years helped to dispel many myths (no, the Tara Plantation has never been real and no, there aren’t any peach trees to be found in Atlanta) and reinforce a few stereotypes (yes, southern folk are hospitable and yes, it’s called the Dirty South for a reason). I miss the humid summer nights, live oaks, the curious ability of kudzu to engulf anything within a couple of weeks if not tamed and the steady stream of pleasant surprises. Coming across Oxford Comics was one of those pleasant surprises, and it still has my vote for best comic book shop. Through the owner’s well-organized, comprehensive inventory I stumbled onto many wonderful finds, like the fashion manga, Paradise Kiss.
Ai Yazawa’s Paradise Kiss Volume 4, Los Angeles, Tokyo: Tokyopop, 2003. The cast of characters from left: Arashi, George, Isabella and Miwako - caged is “the heroine”, Yukari
Designer To Dealer: The Transition From Boutique to House of Ill Repute
The “Dior Addict” marketing campaign for cosmetics and perfume (weren’t there the shirts as well?) launched a few years ago, peddling luxury goods and the accompanying addiction. Christian Dior doesn’t use the “Admit It” tagline anymore, but that’s just as well. Don’t admit it. In fact, don’t even have a paper trail of the purchase. Shivani Vora’s “Money Doesn’t Talk” is an article in the New York Times about the growing trend of paying cash for luxury goods among women in order to avoid justifying purchases to husbands, boyfriends or parents. Women are doing this, Vora says, even when it’s their own money that they are spending. Of all the reasons cited for the increase in cash payments at luxury boutiques, hiding an addiction is conspicuously absent.
attacked by a perfume craving on her way to the local needle exchange: Liberty Ross for Christian Dior, circa 2002
The Shanghai Gesture
As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m a big fan of designs coming out of Australia and the surrounding area because of their wearability. The s/s 2006/7 collection from New Zealand designer Kate Sylvester is a good example of this fine-tuned practicality. Inspired by the fusion of East meets West in Shanghai and Hong Kong, Sylvester’s “Young Ideas Go West” collection draws in part from the Shanghai Moderne culture of the 20s and 30s, complete with variations on the cheongsam.
Kate Sylvester’s “Jade Dress”, s/s 2006/7 www.vogue.com.au
