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Odeur Autumn Winter 2009-2010 RTW

The Muppet Show's Swedish chef was the first experience I had with our Swedish friends. For years my only knowledge of their ways was restricted to Swedish Meatballs and Swedish Fish. After making friends with a die hard punk kid named Karl (who is also an engineer and a very vocal socialist) I began to suspect that Swedes could be awesome and not just muppets and makers of strange somewhat bland foods. Still I tend to think of them as a typically sunny people. Dark modernism doesn't flash immediately to mind. Maybe bittersweet romanticism (themes often visited by Acne). Odeur is making me review my simplistic (possibly racist? reverse-racist?) view of Swedes. I wouldn't say the designers have a chip on their shoulder but I believe the heavier side of utility and minimalism is taking center stage. Bold flowing deconstructed shapes combine with athletic-wear comfort in a welcome marriage of two worlds.

This collection won't be available stateside as far as I know but there are a number of online stores stocking the line such as Grandpa. The prices are actually very reasonable even factoring in shipping costs. I have my eye set on the outerwear.





Images courtesy of Odeur.

Trailer for Lars Von Trier's Antichrist

Lars von Trier's Antichrist - Official Trailer from Zentropa on Vimeo.

Looks creeeeeeeeepy.

Rick Owens for Showstudio

Head over to Showstudio and check out the rest of the editorial and a "video diptych" both directed by Nick Knight. Owens discusses his desire to corrupt things from within. I approve. Also help me figure out whether Owens looks more like Alice Cooper or Iggy Pop.

Introducing The Drums

I'm almost always happy to have two of my favorite things end up in one place. Now sometimes it doesn't make any sense, like Snuggies, which are just backwards robes (sorry to burst your bubble Snuggie-fans). Other times it works, like peanut butter and bananas. If you combined the tonality of post-punk bands with energy and harmonies of surf-rock and doowop you would end up with something like the sound created by The Drums. These kids are perfectly crafting a soundtrack for the season with romantic danceable electro-infused rock. Keep your eyes peeled and your ears clean for their debut. The EP coming out this June is curiously titled Summertime! and you can listen to it yourself start to finish here.

Kanye West aka Martin Louis the King is a Gay Fish

I haven't made my dislike of Kanye "voice of the generation" a secret so it was a pleasant surprise when he fell into the crosshairs of the SouthPark guys, Matt and Trey, in last night's episode "Fishdicks". Basically Kanye doesn't understand a simple joke that's becoming popular nationwide and assumes its all about him because of his planet sized ego playing off of his microscopic intelligence. The animators also perfectly replicated some of Kanye's outfits and his friend's looks as shot by The Sartorialist a few months ago. For some reason the only video I could find plays nearly the entire episode but the first minute shows you the general trajectory. Enjoy.



Update: That's been removed naturally. Here's the Vocoder-laden spoof of "Heartless" instead.

Hyden Your Manly Bits

I understand some guys like to show off their man-stems. Maybe it makes them feel sexy, virile, free. Good for you if you like to show off your hairy stilts. But my friend summed up my own opinion of these super short shorts for men, the Hyden Yoo Black Agassi Shorts: "Haha. Agassi must mean "one ball out" in Italian or something." Let em all hang out guys. Maybe this is your bra burning statement.

BRÜNO: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner...

...in a Mesh T-Shirt



"I gave him like a traditional African name, O.J."

Tim Hamilton RTW Fall 2009-2010

I didn't get around to commenting on New York Fashion Week too much, but one designer I felt stood above his peers was Tim Hamilton who continues to excite. 80s minimalism and German industrial design seemed to blend together quite nicely into militant boyish silhouettes. Hamilton has stuck to simple graphic prints and sober usage of color ( few blocky geometric shapes here, a splash of cherry red there).

The line is both rigorously youthful and confidently masculine, bouncing between 60s bohemian roadwarrior and Mod elegance. The patent leather boots in black, and matte leather white pairs are incredibly chic and so severe.

Chronicles of Never @ Oak

In the past few weeks Oak has been receiving an exciting spread from Tim Hamilton, Unconditional, and now has Chronicles of Never. The collection designed by Gareth Moody captures the mood of medieval paganism and marries it to the deconstructed aesthetic of today. The leather Boxer-style shorts with the lace up fly have a strange appeal, almost fetishistic. The pebbled leather boots are very desirable to me though the near 500 dollar price tag is a bit out of reach. Maybe if I pray to the heathen gods they'll be gracious and grant me some new swagger?