Thursday, December 31, 2009

New Gothic



I love Gothic in that Tim Burton kind
of way.
Give me 'Edward Scissorhands' and I am
transported into his fantastic
world of dark winding staircases,
pointy steeples and grey cloudy skies.
And don't get me started on the fashion
in his films.
Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp
always look amazingly rich in
black on black on black.
The Cure is another Gothic love of mine.
Robert Smith's voice is always hauntingly
beautiful and standalone quirky at the
same time, and 'Boys Don't Cry' and
'Love Song' have to be two of my
favourite tracks of the 80's.

Japanese youth culture have long
embraced the Gothic aesthetic, combining it
with Lolitaesque dollhouse imagery to
create what must be one of the most
original looks of our time.

Black lipstick should not be tried at
home. However eyeliner and teased hair,
Docs. with black and white striped socks
and haunted houses on jagged cliff-faces;
deliciously dark and romantic, will always
have a place in my heart.


Wednesday, December 30, 2009

2009.. the year on the streets.













As the sun sets on 2009, what was that
year about exactly?
Or is it even necessary to sum up a year?

All I know from walking around ,
meeting people from various cities ,
photographing creative thinkers,
inspiring street art and design,
and just observing what is out there
on the streets I have visited;
is that despite the continuous bombardment
of media negativity,
there is an optimism in the air.

I think these ideas can sort of elude to the
year that was;

1. Making the most of what we had.
Reinvention, recycling, craft as design,
new simplicity.

2. Overt materialism is naff.
I haven't seen many labels splashed
across Tees or flash handbags.
They have been replaced by the humble
canvas shoulder bag and yummy,
perfectly loose, basic cotton tee.

3. Icons are everywhere ,with images
of the late M.J. dominating new stands,
Obama sweatshirts still going strong
and murals inspired by rock legends
popping up all over our streets.

4. Gossip. From clothing labels,
to TV shows.. nothing spreads faster.
Via text, word of mouth, blogs or
trashy mags; tongues are wagging and
appetite for juicy tit bits of
information seems to be insatiable.
I have noticed a lot of young people
reading magazines like 'Vanity Fair'
rather than 'OK', which is perhaps a sign
that articles about the environment,
or taste makers and shape shifters with
substance, are starting to appeal more than
endless images of Brangelina.

5. Colour. Everywhere. Bright, fun , light,
and a distraction from the doom and gloom
economy.

6. Bloodsucking sex symbols.
Dark and mysterious.
Who wants to live forever. Maybe we all do
hence our fascination for vampires of late.

7.Creativity is often ignited when
economy is down. There is a definite buzz
surrounding street art projects such as the
knitted street scape in Sydney recently.
Personal style has definitely gotten more
expressive and experimental.
I have also seen a lot of street poetry,
dance and mime ( and I am not talking
about someone spray painted silver with
a statue of liberty torch made of foam
rubber in there hands.)

8. Flower Power returns. From small
flower stickers stuck on the walls of
many streets in many cities to fresh
flowers worn in peoples hair.
The symbol of a new world blooming..
hope so.

9. Pink. Rosy pink cheeks and fluro pink
sculptures. Neon hair and
hot pink 80's blazers. This colour was the
brave shade of '09.

10. Cartoon madness was painted on walls,
stuck on lamp posts and sewn onto
denim cut-offs , back pockets.
Big global brands installed huge kooky
sculptures in their flagship stores and
street artists went nuts with their twisted,
sometimes edgy and dark, but always
intriguing characters.

Happy New Year everyone and hope you
all have a creative and exciting 2010.




Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Pink Hair?





Why have I seen pink hair everywhere
lately?
Admittedly some musk stick shades are
for fancy dress or costume, but others
have pink hair in a totally, no ironic,
I am going to rock pink hair , Harajuku
kind of way.
The thing is, they look so good .
So, Pink..get back those pink locks you
had ,back in the day, (before your
hen- party-rock anthems were born).

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Poetic License





Some peoples personal sense of style can
only be described as poetic.

I think these three have a
wonderfully, lyrical way of dressing ,
don't you?


Friday, December 25, 2009

Six Ways to Keep Toasty






There are so many ways to really keep
warm and not look like the Michiline
man waddling down the street.
Here are my top 6
6. Legwarmers. ( I told you the Fame
thing would catch on..
see post 20/10/09, knitwear.)
5. Chunky knitted scarves (especially
old school stripes..think Beano)
4.Leather layering.. hoodies or knits
and scarves under leather keep the
cold wind out.
3.Earmuffs (difficult to pull off
but who cares when so much heat
is lost through your ears and
they are covered in furry magic muffs!)
2. A lovely beret.
1. A red coat..duffle, slim, military style
..who cares! Others will also keep warm
just looking at you.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Have a very Spaghetti Christmas

Whatever street your on; whether you are
rugging up by a crackling fire, drinking
eggnog ,
or under the summer sun , BBQing prawns
and drinking your grandmother's punch..
Happy Christmas from all of us..
(that would be just me) at streetspaghetti




Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Leather Forever

Too cool for school.. that's the
leather biker jacket.
Marlon Brando, Jimmy Dean and
Elvis all knew it..not to mention the Fonze,
the cast of Grease and Cher on a
naval vessel!
Just take a look at the couple below who
would even outshine Johnny Depp
and Vannessa Paradis in the style
nonchalance stakes.
Also consider the practicality of
roller blading in one..
no more skinned elbows.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Stripes, stripes...and more stripes!







What can be fresher than stripes?
Especially navy and white.
With denim and a touch of red,
under a black jacket or on a bikini; stripes
are not trying too hard, but have street cred
that dates back to the queen of fashion,
Coco Chanel herself.
The Ramones also rocked stripes under
their leather biker jackets, and the
French have almost made them their
national staple.
So next time you want to look like you are
cool as a cucumber, even in a muggy city
on a scorching hot day..throw on stripes!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Pyramid Perfection




The Pyramid has to be the most mystical
of all forms.
Created mysteriously in Egyptian a time
before the complexed machines used for
construction today were even dreamt of .
Could there have been some kind of
extraterrestrial intervention ,or even help
from the Gods?
We will never know, but this symbol of
perfection is as powerful now as it was in
the time of the great Pharaohs.