Lighten up, will ya?

     I was chillin' on the roof not long ago and had the pleasure of meeting a new neighbor. We started chatting, and he asked me what I do for a living. I proudly told him that I am a fashion designer, and with more than a little bit of self-satisfaction began to elaborate on all of the projects I am currently working on. Finally, I got over myself long enough to ask about his profession. He replied, "Oh, I am a medical researcher.....I'm working on a team trying to find a cure for cancer." Yeah.

That's how I felt.

     I often feel that people take fashion WAYYYYYYY to seriously. I am certainly not exempt from this. There is so much pretense throughout the whole industry - elitism, self-importance, a general air of superiority. And to what end? No one is going to die if a dress is tinted ecru instead of cream, or the exit order is messed up during a fashion show, or if a model's hips are 1/2" larger than stated on her comp card. But nearly everyday I see stylists chain-smoking out of anxiety, assistants cowering in fear of their photographers, and producers shouting into cell phones about late manicurists. Jeeeeeez...who knew finger nails were so stressful! And even more serious is the wave of model suicides in the past couple of years (Ruslana Korshunova, Ambrose Olsen, Daul Kim, Noemie Lenoir), as well as all of this nonsense about Terry Richardson lately. Really? We're going to let the guy keep manipulating and abusing women (many suspected to be underage), because he shoots for a few magazines????? It's stuff like this that makes me think, "What is this industry really about anyway?"

The Haughtiest of Them All

     Of course, any industry has its pros and cons....I'm sure the cancer research field has it's share of power-hungry corporate climbers, and that doesn't get a sick person well any faster. But I just wish it weren't so prevalent in fashion. Fashion to me is about creativity and invention....personal expression and confidence. If we have to wear clothes every day, then why not have a little fun with it. 

          

Betsey Johnson, fashion designer, doing her signature runway cartwheel...at age 65

     FUN - there's a novel idea!
Josh, aka Best Boyfriend Ever, took me to see Sex and the City 2 last night - OPENING NIGHT. He was the only straight man in the crowd. I was in tears before the film started! Of course, if you're looking for substance, you're in the wrong place, but it was so nice to see something that was purely about having a good time. And you should have seen the crowd - all women dressed to the NINES. They were having fun with fashion........why don't industry people feel the same way????

Sex and the City 2 - Totally campy, silly, and heavy handed....but so much fun!

     So in an effort to have a little fun with the fashion nonsense I would like to introduce you to:

The Catorialist

     The Catorialist is a dead on parody of the super hoity-toity style website The Sartorialist. And it's spot on, even down to the American Apparel ads on the left! The author of The Catorialist even writes funny, fashion-y back stories to accompany the photos, in true Sartorialist style. I was crying laughing the first time I saw it. (I think it'll be really funny to those familiar with The Sartorialist and how completely pretentious it has become. And people who like cats.)

Another thing fun and silly...