the color of perfection.

for the most part, original silhouettes and architectural details are normally the aspects in garments which impress upon me the most.  it is their ability to make the garment show its worth that i believe  i enjoy noticing.  rather than a person wearing a garment, the garment wears the wearer.  structural garments realize this idea without gaudy overkill -just a strong statement and vision in clothing form.

for most of the spring/summer '11 fashion week shows that i have been busily clicking through, new york fashion week especially, my personal tastes have been duly pleased with these structural/form details coming out in most of the collections.  seems to me i'll be gaining an entirely new wardrobe come next spring [depending on which hemisphere i'm in...]

then, along comes the epitome of 'minimalism' as the media dubs it, jil sander, and i get completely blown away by the utter wearability of every single look sent down the runway.  i'd say lush is actually the name of the game for this s/s collection.  sorry, nyfw, how plausible is it to wear leather in the spring or summer -even in new york?!?  i can just visualize how very chic and uncomfortable i would be donning leather separates whilst waiting on a subway platform come july 2011 [sorry richard chai/zero+maria cornejo/cushnie et ochs -i adore the collections, i do!].

in all seriousness, the jil sander s/s '11 collections speaks for itself with amazing mixed stripes, lush and long hemlines, flowing silks, that orange of the season, and -most strikingly to me- some floral patterns i could actually see myself wearing [i have a hard time enjoying the general run-of-the-mill floral and i haven't found much i would be happy to include in my wardrobe].  

on to the photos!

that orange

the florals that have turned me, perhaps all i require is the pop of acid-y color 

all photos found at vogue.com

just hang in there.

this is a bit personal.

though watching sports on television is not normally an ideal activity for me.  i make a few exceptions to this general rule in the form of a bit of soccer, tennis, and of course my new favorite, australian rules football.  

as enjoyable as our own 'gridiron' football might be to some [not i], it cannot compare to the fast-paced version that australians have been practicing since the mid-19th century.  its fast, its fun, and they don't wear pads.  in addition, the uniforms that the players sport are absolutely beyond compare in professional athletic competitions.  

photos sourced from afl.com.au

my confessional admirations aside, the point i actually want to bring up is the year of indecision australia seems to be having.  what with flip-flopping ideas about mining taxes, immigration regulation, and major political party leaders [both the labour and liberal parties ousted their majority leaders in the past 10 months], things seem to be indecisive at times in australia.  

now with two of the major events on the calendar for this country also up in the air, 2010 has become a year for growing pains.  the elections in august resulted in the first hung parliament in australia since 1940 and now, today, the australian 'footy' grand final resulting in a tie [one of three in all 112 years of finals]...what else to be stalled, oz?!  the results of this game are curious for a premier competition in sports due to the afl rule that a tie outcome in the grand final be resolved by playing a second full grand final match a week later.

alls i can say is...good thing i didn't stay up to watch this game online with all its dubiety, but instead waited to watch the replay this afternoon.  next week perhaps these two teams with end this indecision and truly have a grand final.

a platform to support.

lately, footwear has really been commanding my attention.  the choice type has been platforms platforms platforms.  i can't seem to get enough of the chunky footwear to the point that every shoe that isn't around 4 inches high isn't really up to snuff for me.

upon my return from australia, i was finally being able to snag a pair from the pierre hardy x gap s/s10 collaboration:::

with tintorella socks, grey ant dress

so just when the new pierre hardy x gap a/w10 collaboration is finally about to come out with yet another pair of beautiful neutral toned platform wedges in october, nyfw gives me yet another reason to support the platform of well, platforms!

suno x loeffler randall photos from http://blog.loefflerrandall.com/

i'm really enjoying the towering heights so hopefully this obsession can hold through winter.  however, these platforms by loeffler randall for suno have recently underlined the fact that i'll most definitely still be sporting platforms well into 2011.  i'm having a hard time figuring out which delightful print covered wedge to pick; though, come february, i'll be stalking the opening ceremony and loeffler randall webpages for these curved beauties.

a platform i can fully support.

better late than never.

do you sometimes think things may come too late?  

occasionally, i throw myself into focusing on something so wholeheartedly that i tend to be disappointed when a task doesn't come to fruition.  


oftentimes, this ending is left dangling but nearly despondently forgotten; like endless searches on travel websites for airfare to various destinations that will never be purchased, only searched in a rabid frenzy.  sometimes -just sometimes- these whimsies and desires come to realization [like a future nomadic venture with said airline tickets in the coming months] with my own help.  other times its like they are resuscitated randomly in an attainable and realistic way.  not to throw you off the scent, but one of these whimsies has in fact resurfaced much to my delight:::

a swimsuit of neoprene goodness has found a way in to my possession.  finally, after ogling this alexandra cassaniti delight [at left] on the creatures of comfort webspace [thank my stars they're finally in nyc!] for the better part of a year i've gotten a new suit!

i have been desiring neoprene-y items to play with/hack up/don/pair with since setting off the for the great island of australia -that neoprene and surf paradise.  last year a friend lent me a delightful rarely used 80s wet suit for surfing lessons that involved me splashing around and realizing that arm muscles might be a good thing to have.  


more importantly::: the wet suit was a fantastic neon green/black combination with blue on the inside [for only me to see] and it really got me thinking about how great it would be to scour the charity shops [thrift stores] for old school wetsuits to scrub/cut up and play with in my wardrobe.  

though i never had a chance to make the serious effort to scour the charity shops of perth, the idea hasn't left that far off corner of my mind.  so, to my delight this beaut of a swimwear find literally landed on my radar without any search at all thanks to my local target and a $20 bill in my wallet.

the swimsuits at my local target are generally of the novelty 'wild animal colors with neon flowers, cherries and bedazzlements' nature so much to my surprise, this delightful throwback to my aussie fun-in-the-sun times is a welcome addition to seriously lacking swimwear category of the wardrobe.  the tag has an attachment that mentions something along the lines of '2011 swim preview.'  no clue what that refers to...but am glad they've decided to let me purchase it now just in time for the end of summer and my last possible jaunt to the beach before autumn begins...




however, i foresee this new short corset-like swim top coming in handy for future layering far into the winter.  wetsuits are meant to keep you warm, no?

salt and spice.

i recently came into a windfall gain of small, lovely round lemons.


'how exciting!' you say, and i will undoubtedly agree.  


anyone that has experienced me in action in a kitchen will know that the space quickly fills with fresh and dried herbs and spices for experimentation.  much like brewing a potion, dishes rarely end up without some form of new spice to test out.  rarely following the rules of robust and mild flavors, i really just like to know what makes basics better.  as a point, i was recently chastised for wanting to put fresh basil in a greek yogurt-cauliflower mash because the flavors were thought to be too contrasting, only later to be rewarded with pleased dinner partners and compliments to the cook.


which, naturally, leads me to the decision i came to for what to do with so many lemons...

















as i've been wanting to cook with preserved lemons since enjoying both an interesting salad and a pasta dish during multiple visits to van's cafe in cottesloe [western australia], i easily decided to test out how difficult it would be to preserve my windfall for future cooking occasions.  answer: extremely simple requiring little time.


i checked out my favorite "food idea" website 101cookbooks.com in hopes of some instructions on the process and lo and behold, heidi swanson delivered [as always -if you haven't checked out this site, its great for interesting vego options].


20 minutes later, i have two jars packed with lemons and salt.  if any of you have the inkling to try it out, the only items you'll need are these.

now all i have to do is let them process and wait for a month until i can start incorporating these into dishes.  

so, morocco has been done...on to vietnam and chanh muoi.  

anyone want to surprise me with a cache of limes?

my kind of business casual

in the dream state of current day-to-day events where i desire a job but have yet to achieve employed status, i find my mind wandering into visions of business casual friendliness.  

these visions generally include me in a workplace  populated with people/objects all exuding a nature of trendy/drab/casual/structured/muted/tonal 

however, seeing as i am not currently a part of this environment i have the ability to browse the web to my pleasure and had an interesting vision today, in this first day of copenhagen fashion week [s/s11], the perfect essence of my glorified bureau musings courtesy of spon diogo, a duo based in copenhagen.  

spon diogo perfects the minimal shifts, embellished separates, and structured post-modern garments that i would love to sport at my very own deskspace.

perhaps now that i have found the desired wardrobe, the employment will follow...

all photos courtesy of Copenhagen Fashion Week®

cross-training.

gael monfils and karlie kloss in vogue october 2009 "french open"

oftentimes, nationality is great issue of pride -especially on such a visible playing field, so to speak.  naturally, outward appearances are highly regarded and scrutinized [think: the dozens of spreads involving national team get-ups, and i really do mean get-up, for the most recent olympics opening ceremonies].  looks, colors, symbols and names are all a major aspect of the commitment and confidence of players and fans.

having attended university in a town where wearing a jersey or some other aspect of sports paraphernalia is considered "on trend," this pleasantry with and everyday acceptance of supporters for their teams always seemed like a cop-out in the what to wear department of the everyday. however, as the calm uruguayan ensemble strides alongside the neon-glo decked out dutch kit came to my realization that perhaps there is some semblance of structural bliss and stylistic nuance in the athletic uniform.

i decided to do some research to find out what kind of platform this fashionable perfomance wear this could be OR whether there were more to the uniforms of the multitudinous sports teams than just a color, advertisement, and insignia.  in other words, i decided to actually excavate the colors, meanings, and structures of the shirts/shorts/pants/skorts to see if there were more relevance between fashion+design and athletic uniforms.

take, for instance, the australian athletic colors -the "green and gold-" have no relevance to their flag; but, they have come to stand for even more than just athletics as a color scheme when paired together.  though many athletic teams strive to have a tough mascot or a daunting nickname, this green and gold that can only signify one thing for many people, australian citizen or not, apparently symbolizes the colors of their floral emblem, the golden wattle.  more than a galvanizing name [ie, cameroon: the indomitable lions], it is the colors that australian players and fans take pride in; it is these visual aspects of the team that perpetuate athletics and cause people to keep an eye for the jerseys, kits, and caps of their favorite teams.

pantone 116Cand pantone 348C

due to the impending [now played...this post is going up late :( ] world cup finals, i recently had some musings involving the crossing of platforms between the sports and fashion worlds.  we see all sorts of connections between these different realms of culture including photo-spreads and spokesperson contract extended to sports stars, like the example above with gael monfils gracing the pages of us vogue last fall and sports themed high-fashion editorials.  however, as evidenced by recent collections, the sports world has left more of a mark than simply fit bodies and roguish good looks.

a new york times fashion and style article from wednesday discusses the very question of the branding and modeling crossover roles that many stars [in particular soccer stars] tend to accept and the amount of brands who use these familiar faces -and bodies-for representation. conversely, many magazines,stylists, and photographers choose to use sports as a theme of editorial spreads.  we often see the juxtaposition of "tough" and disciplined athletic garb, form and function executed by supermodels.

furthermore, many influential brands and design houses choose to become synonymous with their home country and strive to create iconic pieces, uniforms, and goods especially for their national teams.  dolce & gabbana's sartorial support of the italian  soccer team, fifa's commission of louis vuitton design services in trunk form, and ralph lauren's overzealous polo customization for the usa 2010 winter olympic squad all come to mind...

which brings me to my final thought spurred by the ss2010 runway seasons from both alexandre herchcovitch and alexander wang of the inspiration which actual athletic uniforms and equipment lend to the high fashion world.

herchcovitch, in an interview published on his website gives this statement in regards to his choice of sporting gear as inspiration:::

       <> (from his website)

all above photos from alexandre herchovitch ss2010

i'll leave you with alexander wang's iconic jersey, sheers, and leather layers with the faint hint of the structure of past american football uniforms and headgear...  elegantly layered and structured with a clear idea of using these shapes to accentuate the feminine form:::

     

new and much improved.

after the year-long hiatus of the experiencing the ex-pat life in the antipodes, the blog will soon continue.  the much-desired visual update to the blog is here and so the words may flow.

seeing as the internet situation left much to be desired, i place importance on trying to stay as unplugged as possible while in australia.  though this exercise allowed my mind to expand in many ways and for the long hours needed to take advantage of the beautiful west australian weather and landscapes, it also hindered my creative forays.  everyone enjoys the alone time that they receive in bouts of "outdoorsiness," but then too, they enjoy the creativity of being able to practice and relish the individual tasks and meanderings that make up a person's avocations -that which one does for sheer pleasure.

writing escaped me in the antipodes amongst other things.  i have come to reclaim my still fervent delectation with punching keys and vocalizing thoughts.

here's to a return to inward individualism.