nevermind the bricolage

Warriors

In the 1970s Warrior shoes were the Chinese counterpart of Nike and the like. A Chinese Communist answer to the desire for Western fashion. They became a status symbol for certain Chinese youth, a way of setting themselves apart from the masses, giving evidence of their elite position in the system. As barriers broke down and more and more Western fashions made it into China, they fell out of favour and became classic working-class footwear, offering them a stylish alternative to their usual bland fashion opportunities. Well, retrolution has hit China as well and Warriors have made a comeback. There is a coffee table book about them called, Book of Warriors, which comes with a pair of the shoes(www.bookofwarriors.fi). The shoes themselves are still made, and are once again, a fashion must-have, you can check them out at www.warriorshoes.com.

What Goes Around...

I've noticed "skinhead" style creeping back into the public eye. When I was a teen the Mods were ending and the Skins were emerging--this was the pre-racist, football hooligan type of skin--we were dancing around to Skinhead Moonstomp and listening to ska--it was oxblood brogues and thin braces, Ben Sherman shirts and two-tone iridescent suits. The photo here is one of many advertising England for the Roster campaign. Not surprisingly,  a few people are outraged at the use of this image, and given the association with racism, nationalism fascism and general all-around bigotry we shouldn't be surprised.

Sacred Hearts

A friend of mine, Kimme, makes beautiful jewelry, mostly out of old religious artifacts that she collects from extensive flea market trips around the country. She gave me this sacred heart pendant-thing the other day. I like old Catholic religious stuff, I don't know why really, I think it is probably the folk-art feel of much of it, it is usually a lot more reflective of the very earthy, and sometimes almost superstitiously talismanic, nature of most religion, Catholic or otherwise. I tend to spend a lot of time in the intellectual and academic arena of religious thought and thinking, but the fact is, that for most people, religion functions on a much more basic level. I always think of the onamuri, the charms that you can buy for your cell-phone in Japan--basically a fetish for a piece of technology--interesting.

Hedi

Hedi Slimane doesn't design for Dior anymore, but he does take amazing photos which he posts on a regular basis on his site. He is one of those nexus figures in pop culture, he seems to know everyone in rock and fashion, and delights in capturing all sides of the pop culture equation--artist/punter, designer/consumer etc.

Sartorial Splendour

It probably sounds trite and incredibly shallow to some but I love fashion and can get very excited over fabric, the cut of a coat, cool shoes, and of course, my own particular fetish--socks! I usually visit this site on a daily basis, it's a winner.

Fashion Politics

The Marc Jacobs store in LA doesn't have the same overtly political windows that grace the San Francisco store, but it still has the vibe. It is interesting to walk into a high fashion store and come across so much politicking. True, it is mostly found in the shape of buttons, badges, and t-shirts, but the commitment to protest the war and the current administration as well as the continuing support of various to AIDS related issues was refreshing.