The Perfect Coordination: Urban Decay Takes on Decadent Art

Vice-loving AND Cruelty-Free, Urban Decay's new store in Ontario

A cosmetics store called Urban Decay opened up recently at the slickly renovated Square One mall. I walked in yesterday to see all the decay. I wasn't disappointed.

Urban Decay has teamed up with "artist" Jean-Michel Basquiat to make the perfect co-ordination of imagery and makeup. In our era of anti-beauty, which is now reaching a nefarious satanic state (and where else does deliberate embrace of ugliness take us), Jean-Michel Basquiat's legacy becomes the perfect "artistic" expression for contemporary fashion and "beauty."

Here is what Urban Decay says about the UD/J-MB link-up:

We’ve been fans of Basquiat’s art since before the early days of UD; so when his estate approached us about a collaboration based on his artwork, we couldn’t wait to start creating. From the colors and shade names to the packaging, EVERYTHING in this collection evolved from Basquiat’s art. Like Urban Decay, Basquiat was an outsider who challenged the status quo and used color in nontraditional ways. From his informal graffiti work and the way he mixed mediums and colors to the way he spoke out against social injustice

Urban Decay Jean-Michel Basquiat Tenant Eyeshadow Palette: $39
Shades included:
- Studio (pale pink matte)
- 1960 (bright pink matte)
- Neo (rich aubergine w/micro-shimmer)
- Les (charcoal-black matte-satin)
- Graffiti (deep metallic green)
- Exu (bright green shimmer)
- Boom (bright teal matte)
- Untitled (rich deep blue matte)

OK, the "untitled" is funny.


Jean-Michel Basquiat
Self-Portrait, 1982
Media: acrylic, crayon
Dimensions: 239 x 193 cm
Private Collection
© The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquia

Art critics dare not expose the emperor as having on no clothes because they would be exposed as having on no clothes either. So we get endless repetitive art-talk admiration for truly ugly horrors.

And it takes someone who has no stake in the postmodern art horrors either financially or intellectually to expose the nakedness of these. One such is a blogger, short-lived and anonymous (probably has a real job to protect, where he doesn't earn even a tiny percentage required to pay for these multi-million dollar doodles) whose post I've posted in full below.

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I don't get it: Jean-Michel Basquiat
By: Daily soup
June 4, 2011
[make sure to read the comments]

I once dated this fine art major from the academy of art college. she was a bit introverted at times but tended to emerge from that shell with a bat outta hell fury when angered or passionate about an issue. So her and I are on the haight and we go into this poster shop. she stops and and asked me; do you know jean michel basquiat? asking me in a tone that seemed to indicate irrevocable damage to our relationship was at hand should I answer poorly. not wanting to be erroneously outed as a liar, I simply said no, I am not familiar with jean michel basquiat. surprised, she looked at me as if I had looked in the mirror and said: you know what? I hate you niggaz. In an ever so sexy low tone, she explained a short history of this painter and then she gentility grabbed my wrist and led me to a stack of posters.

I was expecting to see some undiscover 20th century new york answer to leonardo du vinci or vincent van gogh.Instead I get these.....





If star wars came out in Shakespeare's day, I would imagine this is what the darth vader of his day would look like.

AFTER MY EXPOSURE to these...umm...yeah...I asked her, oh wow! was he insane? At this point, my girl was clearly offended. she went on into a whole discussion about not "getting it" and how I shouldn't be in art school because I lack the vision to see beauty in the abstract and so forth and so on.

I retorted by asking her has she ever seen the paintings they found made from serial killers and mass murderers? well these would definitely fit in the lot for sure.This led to an intense yet low decibel trade off of passive aggressive quips.I swear even arguing with that girl was a strange venture down the rabbit hole.
A day later, I went back to that store alone and for almost 15 minutes (and after fighting off the strong compulsion to make the sign of the cross numerous times before those painting) I went from a strong silent and contemplative stone pillar stance to a loud and eruptive THIS SHIT IS GARBAGE! WHAT THE FUCK IS THE DEAL WITH THIS OVERRATED SPLASH OF SHOCKING AND DISTURBING VOMIT OF QUASI ARTISTIC INSANITY WORTH ONLY THE CANVAS IT WAS PAINTED ON!?

Surprised by that flood of seldom used vernacular and vocabulary, I stopped myself. Then was asked to leave the store, NO SWEAT, I've BEEN KICKED OUT OF BETTER PLACES THAN THIS. I guess word got back to my girlfriend because she broke up with me that evening.

Look, I'm not ashamed of the fact that I could stand in an art gallery scratching in perplexity. Wondering what one sees in abstract expressionism. I'm not insecure about my uncultured and unrefined nature. I'm proud of my blue collar, sports bar self.

yes I do miss the GF from time to time, although we aren't talking, we do past each other and say hi. But I still get pretty peeved when I realize that our relationship came to an end over JMB. It couldn't be a micheal angelo?

I guess our relationship was less fine art and more chicken scratch.

Tieless Trudeau

The Prime minster of Canada comes out to press conferences looking like this:



He's not only tieless but has also ditched his jacket.

But even what passes for ties now is a thin black strip, usually leather. Gone are the days of paisley designs with matching pocket squares. Men have become as emasculated as their fashion shows us.

This past section was written BEFORE I looked up "Men's Tie Fashions" in google (without quotes).

And I found this on GQ's April 3, 2017 issue:



Notice along with the Thin Black Tie ^TM, the top button is unbuttoned.

It was one of the images for the article: Justin Trudeau Just Nailed This Ryan Gosling-Approved Style Move

The article is written by an adolescent thirtsomething, who fawns over celebrity men (including Canada's celebrity Prime Minister), and who has a degree in Fine Arts from Boston. I guess looking at pretty men now counts for an artist's task.


Men in the 1950s
Gregory Peck advertising for Eagles Clothes

For more on men and ties, read The Necktie by The Thinking Housewife.

Minimalist Art and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial: Reclaming Our Monuments

Minimalist Art and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial
Elaboration on the unpublished article
Article posted on Reclaiming Beauty Articles: June 7. 2011

War memorials are an integral part of civilizations and their histories. One just has to look at the resplendent and grandiose Arc de Triomphe standing tall, at the center of a star-shaped street structure in Paris, to see how it affects the city and the people around it. The more dignified Trafalgar Square holds its distinction with lions, fountains and Nelson on the pedestal, and its vast public esplanade.

War memorials have always been about honoring their dead. And it isn’t false honor, since the mere dedication of a sculpture or a square is indicative of some outstanding effort that was made, whether it be winning a battle, holding a front, or just staying the course for so long.

This is why the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is such a disappointment. History is slowly exposing the real costs and gains behind that war, including the ultimate winners and losers. And the balance lies more on the American side. Yet, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is all about expiation and loss.

on a college project for a funerary design when she submitted her winning entry,

There was fierce opposition to the memorial from the start, where statesmen, veterans and the general public demanded that a more heroic symbol be built. One of the most poignant outrages was that nowhere on the monument is the word Vietnam carved, as though the place never existed, and the soldiers fought a non-existent war.

This controversy precipitated the erection of another monument. Sculptor Frederick Hart, whose base-reliefs adorn the great Washington National Cathedral, constructed a three-man composition which he called The Three Soldiers, clearly Vietnam soldiers standing in their combat gear and rifles. Lin was displeased by this new addition, and demanded that it be placed as far away from her contribution as possible. And no flag to render her area like a golf course, she declared. A flagpole was nonetheless placed near the The Three Soldiers with the fitting inscription: “This flag represents the services rendered to our country by the veterans of the Vietnam War.”



What eventually happened was that the memorial garnered popularity as a focus for grief. Even Lin acknowledges her subtle coercion when she says: “I actually feel like I controlled it a little too much… I knew that one's first immediate reaction… could very well be that you were going to cry.” Her design was to create a repository for unappeasable mourning, and in the end, that is what became of the granite wall.

Lin continues in the art world with sporadic contributions as an abstract, minimalist sculptor, and architect of a few lackluster buildings. She was one of the jury for the 911 memorial competition, and a strong promoter for the design that won. Once again, the winning design was a commemoration to insatiable grief as symbolized by two 30-feet deep holes at the spots where the towers stood. The contending design was more serene and spiritual, evoking enveloping clouds and sparkling lights. It is still hard for Lin to leave the black wall of death. Her original idea describing the wall: “I had a general idea that I wanted to describe a journey...a journey that would make you experience death…” holds to this day.


Maya Lin's collaboration with fashion designer Phillip Lim, in 2016.
The event took place in a pier warehouse-e where Lin's mounds of dirt fit well with Lim's postmodern androgyny

“I needed a raw, large venue to create this work...the Pier was the first place we saw, and the scale and rawness of the space was perfect,” Ms. Lin told the Observer.

But, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, or the wall, as the case may be. More recent memorials are giving credence to their lost heroes. The Korean War Veterans Memorial, unveiled in 1995, is a triangular field of 19 stone soldiers with a clear dedication to the veterans. And the National World War II Memorial, which opened in 2004, also includes a wall with symbolic stars representing the fallen soldiers.

Frederick Hart, on meeting Lin, confidently told her, “My statue is going to improve your memorial.“ Time has already proven him correct. The collection of photographs at the veteran-ran The Wall USA website emphasizes the Three Soldiers statue more than the wall, and uses the granite wall many times as a backdrop to reflect this.

The original memorial celebrated its 25th anniversary this November, and it already looks quite different from its initial granite wall concept. Lin’s minimalist abstraction, which only succeeded in making the wall an empty repository for grief, is slowly being improved by more concrete and tangible elements. A Women’s Memorial was added, and a new plaque commemorating the veterans who died after the war lies near the Three Soldiers. There is not much to be proud about war, but there is pride and honor due to the soldiers who fight in them.


Iwo Jima Memorial, Arlington Virgina

How to Acquire Style and Substance

Cary Grant, 1957

Below is a correspondence I posted on my style blog in 2013.

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A young man recently wrote to me and asked:

Your posts are great and so pertinent to the madhouse we currently live in. I was wondering if you think the slovenly dress habits will be discarded within the next 10 years or so as people get fed up with the general ugliness. Or are they too far gone?

I generally gird myself mentally before I enter the public square these days. I expect to see slobs, hear rude language, be tailgated, walk away from cell phone conversations etc. I'm praying that network news goes the way of dvds.

And the way people let their kids scream and screech!

I think Lawrence Auster called it the age of the "totally liberated self".

Is this anti-culture too far gone? Should we traditionalists run for the hills and try to carve out a little patch of sanity?

George Orwell (a weird kind of socialist) wrote an essay called "Some thoughts on the common toad" and concluded it saying that in spite of the lies spewing out into the world Spring is Spring and they can't stop you enjoying it. A little comfort I guess.

I answered him with what I thought would be a practical guideline on how to maneuver the non-aesthetic mentality of our age:

I don’t know. Beauty, beautiful things, like a culture and a country, take years, centuries, generations to build and solidify. Ugliness and destruction occur in very little time. Even consider dressing: It is easier to slap on anything as opposed to wearing clothes that have an aesthetic sense.

I think our era hasn’t constructed, or built, its aesthetic sense. Other eras built theirs, out of what came from their past. Ours hasn’t bothered with that. I think it stopped soon after the late sixties and early seventies. I cannot think of a definitive eighties, nineties or “new millennium” style, but I can immediately recognize sixties, fifties, forties, thirties, twenties, styles, and further into the past.

I’m still trying to figure out why that is, but I think it happened when beauty was “downsized” as I call it, and when people thought it was too elitist. It probably has to do with equality, as I write here. But the problem with “equality” is that it courts the lowest denominator, so everyone becomes equally ugly.

But, the interesting thing about aesthetics is that it doesn’t require “equality” to function in any and all levels of life. The young shop girl can look beautiful (or at least aesthetically pleasing) and can borrow her ideas form the wealthy socialite to form her own pleasant look. Also, when beauty is around, even in limited quantities, everyone benefits. A beautiful statue in park is for everyone to appreciate. A beautiful lady glimpsed at in her car (in a store, a restaurant, etc.) makes people happy, including the lowly shop girl. Beauty does make the world a better place, I’m convinced.

Anyway, back to your question:

I think it is possible to discard slovenly dress habits, and even sooner than within the next 10 years.

1. You can start right away. For example:

A. Rather than wearing sneakers, always wear good shoes.

B. Dress well when going out, even to the corner store.

C. Of course, over-dressing to the corner store can look odd, so try to fit your dress to the occasion. There are great casual clothes around, and you don’t have to slip on a silly t-shirt or a worn out sweat shirt to go out and buy your milk.

D. Have a good hair cut, perhaps copying a style from another period, or using a men’s magazine for ideas (some have surprisingly well-groomed men models).

E. Try to get things to match, in style, color, design etc.

F. Find good accessories like ties, hats, belts, handkerchiefs, jackets. The whole look matters.

G. Avoid jeans at all costs. They look sloppy, and they are boring and unattractive.

H. And behave well, gentlemanly and chivalrously.

2. Avoid these items:

- Sweat shirts or t-shirts
- Sneakers
- Jeans
- Shorts
- Thematic prints like a shirt you bought at your last rock concert, or the tie with Disney motifs.
- Dramatic prints. Stripes and small circles or diamonds on shirts is as far as you should go.
- Baseball hats
- Odd jewelry, or pierced ear/nose
- Tattoos
- Hoodies

3. Try to find different styles for different occasion

A. Office wear

This is still generally more formal. Even if you work in a casual office environment, dress as if you might meet your next new boss, or your big client.

B. “Street” wear

Street wear is less formal. But you are out showing yourself to the whole world. Do you want to be seen in sloppy t-shirt and jeans, or look nice, presentable and attractive? You can add the thematic printed shirt here, perhaps a Hawaiian shirt for summer, and penny loafers are a good substitute for sneakers. As a hat, a panama hat might be a nice touch rather than that ubiquitous, ugly baseball cap.

C. Week-end and home wear

You’d be surprised at how people dress at home, when they think that “no one” is looking. Of course, their own families are looking, observing and often mimicking. If you have young children, they will be influenced at how you present yourself even at home. Get out of the pajamas and dressing gown mode, and actually wear some real clothes that are not for sleeping in. “Pajama mode” dressing includes baggy sweat shirts and sweat pants, and t-shirts, sloppy slippers/flip flops, etc. Leave the t-shirts and sweat shirts for the garden or yard work. You can be comfortable in a loose shirt and pants. Try a Hawaiian shirt, a short-sleeved golf shirt, sweaters, penny loafers, Dockers once in a while.

D. Visitors/Visiting wear

Dress up when visiting friends, and when friends come to visit. Don’t overdue it, of course, if the event is casual, but look good. Rather than a sweat shirt, put on a dress shirt, or a short-sleeved golf shirt. Try different, subdued colors for a change, like pastel lilac or light blue. Don’t pull out the Hawaii shirt for this one. No jeans, of course, and no sweat pants. But tan Dockers are a good, neutral choice. Penny loafers, and more formal shoes like Oxfords, can substitute for sneakers.

E. Visitors and week-end and home wear are somewhat similar

In a way, you should be ready for some event, even if at home. Some-one may decide to pop in for a visit. Mix your “visitors wear” with your casual home wear when you’re at home.

4. Look for good examples and guides

A. Magazines

Look up GQ magazine and other men’s magazines. Many have surprisingly good selections of men’s clothes. But pay more attention to the ads. The articles are often featuring the next “avant-gard” designer, whereas the ads are more conservative.

B. Tailors

Go to a tailor. Try to find a small, modest, old-fashioned one, who has had some formal or “old world” training. Such tailors are often a wealth of information. Ask for their advice. Have a suit custom made.

C. Formal Occasions

Look around during formal occasions. See what people are wearing for weddings, engagement parties, christenings, office formal parties, etc. Formal wear has been downgraded so much that wedding suits might actually fit your every-day life style.

D. Public Figures

Watch what public figures – news anchors, presidential candidates, Donald Trump, etc. - are wearing. Study how they accessorize with their ties, handkerchiefs, shoes, hats, and even their hair styles. We are still a some-what conservative culture when it comes to how our leaders are dressed.

E. Fashion History

Look up the history of fashion. How did people dress ten years ago, fifteen years ago? In the fifties, or forties? In the 19th century? During Medieval times? You’d be surprised to find that men took what they wore very seriously. A knight is identified partly by what he wears. So is a king. As is an early twentieth century gentleman.

F. Fashion Statements and Items

Find distinguishing items of different eras, periods and styles. It could be the walking stick/umbrella of the English Gentleman. Or the colors of a sixteenth century costume which you can incorporate into the colors of your tie and lapel handkerchief. Or the hats worn in the 1950s.

G. Different Cultures

Look at different cultures around the world and study how they differentiate between formal wear and casual wear (e.g is “casual wear” universal?). Did they have specific, attractive wear for men? Were men and women equally well-dressed?

H. Different Classes

How do the rich and the poor dress? You might think that only the wealthy are concerned with looking good. But, all walks of people dress cleanly, respectably, and with some flair. Poor people in Africa, for example, the poorest of the poor in the world, managed to develop a bright and cheerful style, with imaginative tie-dye, block print and batik fabrics, which million-dollar designers copy as their latest runway creations. Even cheap Walmart clothes are often colorful and attractive.

I. T.V. Shows and Movies

If you watch T.V., try to find shows that can give you good style examples. Subscribe to a “Hollywood movies” channel and watch shows and movies from the forties and fifties. We can still relate to those styles, and in fact they’re making a come-back. Study the suit cuts, the colors men wore, the shoes and ties, the hair cuts. Find what you like, and what can fit into your lifestyle, and just copy it!

Cary Grant shows true style and substance with a simple, relaxed pose (see above image). No aggressive expression, no slovenly style. Here is male aesthetics at its best.

J. Vintage Styles

Look for vintage style magazines (including women’s magazines), style history books, etc., and read about the dress and style expectations of those eras. Go to antique and vintage clothing stores and search their racks. As the shop owners for information. Many of them have a fountain of knowledge about style and design.

5. Ignore those who call you "old fashioned"

The MTV DJs or the slovenly week-end sweat shirt wearers have become standard bearers of our contemporary style. They are NOT experts. If your children or younger acquaintances tease you about your style, ignore them, and continue with what you’re doing. They will come around if they see you’re serious. Young people are susceptible to beauty, both boys and girls. We just need to show and teach them. Adults who tease you with subtle jibes are not worth paying attention to, especially if they are the types that wear the droopy sweat shirts and old t-shirts. They might come around, but don’t be too concerned about that.

6. How to approach those annoying loud cell-phone monologues, and jeans hanging down to the knees

Find it in yourself to “confront” slobs, bad language, loud cell phone conversations disclosing intimate details, etc. Don't do this every day, though, and don't stress yourself out. But, try it once in a while to show such people that they’ve passed beyond norms of decorum. This might get risky since people can get really angry, but assess who you can do it to. People need to know that such behavior is unacceptable.

7. How to personally make a difference

I think revolutionary things start with leaders, or those who take a bold step ahead of others, and who are not afraid of confrontations and negativity. But, prepare yourself mentally, intellectually and personally before you embark on your “making a difference” mission. Here are some things you can start with:

A. Start a blog.

B. Write letters to the editor.

C. Find a magazine, a newsletter, a community paper etc. which will accept your articles.

D. Talk to family and friends about your observations, especially if it concerns them.

E. Make suggestions to your retail stores about clothing items to bring into the store.

F. Form a society like "The Society of Sartorially Conscious People," or "The Well Dressed Group" as you develop ideas and plans on how to make the differences you wish to see around you. Many changes in the past occurred because people formed groups of some kind for support and for strength. Fashion is no less serious, and requires as much energy as any other movement.

8. Change your manners and style to fit your message

A. Please, thank you and excuse me go a long way.

B. Decent and polite behavior attracts people to you and your style.

C. Don’t shirk from full-on arguments, and don’t get bullied by bullies. But choose your place and your manner carefully when interacting with such people. Often, abrasive behavior will only alienate you from others, and prevent you from making your influence. Everyone can a potentially be on your boat, but some more than others.

9. Running to the Hills

I haven’t thought about this. I think it is an option, or could be an option. But this place, this whole place and not some cave in the hills, is our world. I think we need to defend it where we are. We can metaphorically run to the hills by building our own community as I have described above. But that should (could?) be the start of us building our defensive/offensive strategies, when we can begin more concrete changes. I think some inevitable confrontation is looming in the future, so we better get ready now.

10. "Spring is Spring and they can't stop you enjoying it."

And yes, you are right (or George Orwell is right). There are still many beautiful things around us, natural, cultural, familial, and so on. Enjoy the lovely spring that is already here, and the warm summer months just ahead of us. Read good books, look at good art, take care of yourself physically and spiritually. Start a hobby such as photography, woodwork, marathon running, etc., to enjoy life and to keep you in good spirits. We are not here to destroy, but to create.

And be good to people, even the slothful ones.

The Vogue Demographic

Right: Autumn/Winter 2016
Left: Spring/Summer 2017
Limited edition designs by Juliana Cho

Thank goodness I stopped buying Vogue several years ago.

Juliana Cho of Annelore...worked for Catherine Malandrino before launching her line and opening her boutique in 2002. Juliana's clothes have been featured in Vogue, Elle, New York Magazine, Lucky, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar just to name a few. Her designs have been seen on Gretchen Mol, Stella Tennant, Julianna Moore, and Liv Tyler as well as many other women with great taste. Her unique approach to her collections and her business model make her a valuable resource for designers trying to find that elusive way forward. [Source]

The Spring/Summer 2017 dress above sells for $595.

I couldn't find anywhere online to buy the Autumn/Winter 2016 combination.

But Cho's Annelore website does tell me:

The line is never more than 30 pieces per season, and every piece is curated to be the best in design, make, and fit. ANNELORE is the antithesis of mass-produced fashion.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Cho's West Village store...

became the destination for women looking for something original and beautiful to wear.

And her demographic?

The ANNELORE customer is smart, confident, and chic. She does not follow trends or labels. She is successful in her own craft and thus appreciates our craft as dressmakers. The ANNELORE collection is a tribute to our customers.

Overpriced Clothing Stores Selling Ugly Clothes Going Out of Business --- GOOD!

Clothing Stores Selling Ugly Clothes Going Out of Business --- GOOD!

Made in Canada: Fashion to Eternity

Images arranged and Photoshoped by KPA from Mode-Ste

Mode-ste may appear to be a niche-focused brand, but it’s a very big niche. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, according to the Pew Research Center. Data from advisory firm DinarStandard shows Muslims spent US$230 billion on clothing in 2014.

But Chtourou is looking beyond her Muslim customer base. She says Mode-ste is “for every women of all statures, all cultures. Our goal is to make our clothing mainstream.”
[Quote from CTV News video below]

I wrote on Muslim fashion a few years ago here and here. The Muslim fashion industry in Canada has come a long way since, with a Made in Canada factory working out of Montreal to provide clothing that Muslim girls and their infidel friends can enjoy. Of course, Mode-ste has a larger vision that would lead from Fashion to Eternity for All.

Blog I'm in Elite Company

Square One Mall in Mississauga has been pretty active lately, with a newly opened "luxury wing."

The new Mississauga Holt Renfrew at Square One had commissioned an illustrator to make portraits of customers on its opening day .

The line was surprisingly short and the illustrator was fortunately quick and skilled. Within twenty minutes, I had mine.

I looked up Monica Smiley of Eightyseventh St. and found that she has had a long career of illustrating cartoons of various famous people.

I am in esteemed company!



She said it is easier when people have a distinguishable feature. Mine happened to be my big orange hat!

Vogue's Anna Wintour's are her giant sunglasses which she wears even indoors. And of course her bob.



Hudson's Bay across the mall wasn't gong to be left out, and was promoting a new make-up line called Teeez that I blogged about here. Un-hip that was, I didn't realize that a Selfie actually meant me pointing an iPhone or some such contraption at myself. I asked the sales girl to take a photo of me instead (actually, I can take a Selfie with my "tablet" computer).

Here I am below in my "Selfie", getting "ready for a revolution" as the poster behind me asks. Little do they know!



I think I look better than Anna Wintour - at least I have a better smile. And my signature look (my big orange straw hat) is a far more interesting than hers, an over-sized pair of dark glasses.


Anna Wintour at the Spring/Summer 2016 Collection
during London Fashion Week

It's funny, these "power women" when it all boils down, are like frightened little girls underneath it all.

Meryl Streep played it perfectly in The Devil Wears Prada, as a fashion mogul who was supposed to be, well, fashioned after Anna Wintour. At the end of the day, this Miranda Priestly/Anna Wintour impersonation was intimidated, and beaten, by a simple college graduate intern. Now, when will this college graduate intern morph into the monster that Streep's character became, and when will she collapse at some point in her career, unable to rise to some "challenge?" And how many ruins will she have stacked behind her of failed marriage(s), family, and feminine happiness?

Here is a photo op (is it one for Hillary or one for Anna?) taken in 2013, where fashion meets (Democrat) politics. What is a then 64-year-old business mogul like Anna Wintour woman smiling like a 12-year-old? And why so deferential to Hillary Clinton (66), who herself is grinning like a mad woman? So much for modern "strong" women.


Anna and Hillary in 2013

What would they do if they came across Martha Washington, who was the same age as them in this portrait below?


Martha Washington, by James Peale, 1796
Mount Vernon Collections

Blog Fun and Vice for the Contemporary Teeez Girl And Where's the Money?

Teeez Girl in Contemporary Neon and Vampire Teeth
Morphing from sugar and spice to vampire and vice

Photo for a promotional card for Teeez Cosmetics to enter a contest to win make-up
She doesn't look like she's having much fun, and doesn't look like much of a teeez
But she does have her vampire teeth ready.

I wrote yesterday about the regular occurrence of the word "fun" in people's vocabulary.

Fun is everywhere these days. On sitcoms, in commercials, on billboards, and on everybody's lips.

I went yesterday to the cosmetics section of the Bay department store, and noticed promotions being handed out for "complementary make-overs" and a chance to win prizes.

"What should I do?"
"Just take a selfie, and send it to us."

Well not being of the "selfie" generation, I asked her to take a photo of me.

I had intended to send it in but it does not qualify, of course, and when I investigated the prize they were promising, it was a Top Shop gift voucher. Top Shop is Hudson Bay's British import, a boring, dark "goth" place where neon colors do not exist, let alone a pretty yellow or red, with over-priced clothes where prices are actually labeled in pounds and dollars, causing confusion at the cashier. It wasn't worth being associated with one of those self-centered selfie-cover-girl-wannabes.

Here is the Instagram page where I could have posted my photo (had it been a true selfie) and won a prize to Hudson Bay's British import.

Back to more serious matters.

I got a promotional card from the selfie regulator, and reading its message of Teeez giving me the power to "create a killer look you can call your own" prompted me to ask her what I think about the "Teeez" brand (is it three or four "eeeeez"?). She didn't look very powerful to me.

"It's fun," said this twenty-something woman who stood in front of me with pink hair.

That's more like her!

I thought she (or her "team") came up with that word in an attempt at translating the Dutch company's made-up word. Later, I searched online dictionaries and Dutch websites and blogs, but none gave me anything for "teeez" - to tease in Dutch is a completely different word). Perhaps it is the Europeans' propensity to incorporate English words into their languages, sometimes with new spellings and even meanings. Or it could just be a smart business strategy to make the word and product sound (American) English (Europe is fascinated by America), giving it more popularity and therefore business success. Well they've landed on our shores and it is a short cross over from Hudson's Bay to Macy's.

"Oh. I like the pink," I said to the pink-wigged teeez girl.

"Thank you [with a pose - she got my joke]."

This counts for the "beauty revolution" that was advertised on the billboard behind the pink-haired rebel.

I found a make-up lady and asked her what was so great about this new make-up.

"I got 'fun' from the girl in pink hair," I quipped.

She laughed and continued with:

"Well we have a large variety of colors and styles. And we are about fun and bold, with a contemporary edge."

Strangely for someone in the teeeze department, this older woman looked dowdy and bland. But then she is the other end of the (very narrow) spectrum where people either look ridiculously cartoonish or depressingly bland.

What happened to the styled and stylish older woman with her well-fitting suits and tailored dresses? Walmart actually sells such clothes as does Sears and they're not expensive. In fact a pair of Levi jeans (or those "lady" jeans which these women love to wear) cost as much, and add to that the durable sweat shirts with patterns on them (often the only bright color in this get-up) and of course the sneakers, or sneaker-type shoes from Naturalizers, and they're're spending close to $1000 to look dowdy.

And there's that word fun again, and after I joked about it (mocked it really). So "fun" is part of the teeez "meaning," as even this sales lady acknowledges. I suppose she has no choice but to use it on the job, even as she looked adult and serious (and bland), to promote the company's "mission." Either that, or she changes jobs and leaves matters to the pink wigs.

I really didn't hear much else of what she said, looking for "a large variety and styles and colors" in the display counter, unimpressed.

Here is what the back of the promotional card says:

Fashion Vendetta gives you the freedom to overpower any fashion dictate and all the beauty ammunition to invent your own sartorial style. Your partner n crime? A collection loaded with full-on metallics, mattes, enticing neons and edgy pastels, along with provocative transparent and changeants. A powerful palette of prêt-à-porter products to create a killer look you can call your own.

Perhaps it is good that young women are encouraged to look attractive. But they are hardly encouraged to look feminine, where instead they're hit with words like "powerful," "killer," "edgy."

The neon-lit young girl on the postcard above hardly looks bold, or even "edgy." She looks frightened and bewildered. What is she supposed to do? What is she supposed to feel? What is she supposed to wear?

Fashion Vendetta for whom? What does a vendetta and killer looks have to do with looking pretty? What is a young girl to do?

There is a horde of people to give her just that information, and to sell her the make-up.

In the meantime she can cake on that make-up and make some wallets very thick.


Soft as Sin Cream Blush going for CAN$27. Not for your average girl.
L'Oreal and Revlon have perfectly good make-up, which I've used for years, for under $15 (and much less when on sale).

Below is the pink-wigged "teeez girl" who answered my questions and who was much sweeter-looking in person than this. I wouldn't have gone near the monster portrayed below. These "contemporary girls" with an "edge" have to play a role, but the truth is they would rather be sweet, feminine and kind.



The irony is of course lost on these opportunists who call their product "cruelty free," but where they psychically mistreat their young staff and all the other girls who walk by their counters.

Peta describes their "cruelty free" products thus:

Looking for compassionate companies that you can depend on to find quality, cruelty-free products? You’ve come to the right place! These are some of the leading go-to brands that you can be sure do not test their products on animals anywhere in the world. They’re also widely available, which means you don’t have to search too hard to find them!

"We'll just tell young girls to look like, and behave like, monsters, but we will be saving the planet as we do so."

But on further investigation I could find nowhere any written documents from Teeez that their products are "free from animal testing." All the references I could find are either anecdotal or the opinion of an obscure blogger.

This writer from Vancouver Sun's Beauty Bar "informs" us:

Our tester was especially pleased with the fact this brand claims to not be tested on animals. And the majority of the Teeez Cosmetics products appear to be free of parabens and dermatologist tested.

Where is the "claim" of the product's apparent freedom from those alarming chemicals? Where are the dermatologists' statements vouching for the safety of these products? And what about the "minority" Teeez Cosmetics which contain these ominous chemicals, and what do/could they do - cause our skin to fall off?

So who has the back, or more precisely the skin, of these young girls, including the pink-haired promoters?

The Good Wives

The Good Wives
Left: Julianna Margulies as Alicia Florrick as the wronged wife, in the television show The Good Wife
Right: Michele Obama at the 2015 State of the Union

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It had been a while since I've "reviewed" Michelle Obama's attire (here is one example from about a year and a half ago).

Above is Michelle Obama at the State of the union address on January 20th. I glanced at her ensemble, and all I could think was that it looked like a cheap tweed suit which one could get at Walmart - not that I'm knocking Walmart, but I wouldn't buy it even there.

The New York Post asked:

"Who wore it best, the Good Wife, or the President's wife?"

First, I would say "neither." What a dull, lusterless, cheap-looking dress (look at the zipper against the black strip at the front).

It is perhaps understandable in the television series The Good Wife, which is about an woman attorney. But for the wife of a President?

Obama was at one point intent on supporting "American Designers," which is a noble effort. But, I would rather she wore a smart Christian Dior than this dull Michael Kors.

I don't blame Kors. He does what he does (and gets very rich doing so). It was ultimately Obama's decision.

The suit's jacket (now out of stock, which I presume is due to all those First Lady Followers who bought the suit after the SOTU) was $1595 at Nordstrom. And the ensemble probably more than doubles with the skirt.

And, to show the blind adulation that goes on, here is the black magazine, Essence, showering praises on this outfit:

Mrs. Obama was stunning in a tweed Michael Kors skirt suit with a wide collar and zipper details, channeling her inner Gladiator and giving all of us life.

The "inner gladiator" reference is to the suit that Obama wore on a previous occasion. I don't know how it got into the fashion vernacular of Michelle Obama. I wonder if it came from here ("she reminds me of the muscle-bound Victor Mature in a 1950s gladiator pic")!

How could it have been better?

Perhaps making it in a tweed green rather than this dreary grey.


[I Photoshopped the green color, and all the rest
Better than that grey (Michael Kors should hire me!)]

But the real question is, why is Michelle Obama channeling a television program replete with adultery, marital discord, and a single ("separated") woman aggressively pursuing a career?

Could it be the "presidential" connection?

But, even that is a negative reflection on politicians:

When a very public sex and political-corruption scandal lands her husband, Peter, in prison, Alicia Florrick must get past the humiliation and betrayal and assume responsibility for her family. She resumes her career as a defense attorney, shedding her persona as the embarrassed wife of a politician, and takes charge of her destiny. Four years later, Alicia decides to leave Lockhart/Gardner and start a new law firm with a colleague, Cary Agos. Now that Peter has won the gubernatorial election, Alicia must balance her evolving career and family responsibilities with her new position as first lady of Illinois. [Source]

This is supposedly a reference to the New York governor Eliot Spitzer who resigned from his position after his trysts with prostitutes became public.

But, Michelle's channeling is more convoluted than that. It is to showcase the "bravery" of this politician's wife (in the T.V. show that is), who started a career as an attorney to provide for her two sons after her husband was jailed. She "decides" to not divorce her husband. Yet, she has an affair with a partner at her law firm. Then she decides to run for politics, and uses the same rough strategies her husband used to win his political battles.

It is a strange mixture of victimhood (the good wife), feminism (women can be tough attorneys and even tougher politicians), marital loyalty (the Good Wife doesn't divorce her husband, merely separates form him), motherhood (she goes to work for her two kids), femininity (she always dresses prettily), equality (women can have affairs too), and so on.

What an odd show to emulate.

But not really. It is all about the "strength of the woman" after all. And she can have it all, or rather, do it all: adultery, motherhood, high powered careers - even in politics, and of course wifehood.

And any woman who stays married despite the humiliations this TV Good Wife faced is, well, a good wife. Look at Hillary!

I wonder how President Obama feels about all this?


The President and his Good Wife
Arriving at the State of the Union, January 20th 2015
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat

Creepy Eyes Win At The Golden Globes

Director Tim Burton next to one of the "Big Eyes" illustrations

Big Eyes is a true story about an "artist" who makes creepy, cartoonish illustrations of little girls with giant eyes.

Who are these drawings for? Young children would be creeped out, and older people, well, why would they want such juvenile art adorning their walls?

This is what Burton says about these paintings, which he saw all over the place as a young child:

“At my doctor’s office, there was a big-eyed girl with a poodle. At my dentist’s office, there was a series of kids with cats. When I went to the market, there were greeting cards with Keane ballerinas, Keane waifs, Keane cowboys, and so on. I was fascinated by their huge, sad, Big Brother–ish eyes. I loved that these strange children always seemed to be watching me. It was like being in a bizarre, captivating dream.”

And now, Burton is directing a film based on these images.

But who would want to star in it? Well, one actress, at least: Amy Adams.

Burton continues:

“I happened to be standing next to her at the luncheon for the Academy Award nominees. I was there for Frankenweenie, and Amy was there for The Master. We chatted, and she called me the next day and said she had read Big Eyes. She wanted to play Margaret.”

Actresses all want to look glamorous, a la Old Hollywood.

But, none of these contemporary actresses are making films worthy of those classic times. Instead, they are quite happily playing ghouls, vampires, and now creators of ghoulish art.

Adams was all set on making a movie on Margaret Keane, as Tim Burton recounts:

“I happened to be standing next to her at the luncheon for the Academy Award nominees. I was there for Frankenweenie, and Amy was there for The Master. We chatted, and she called me the next day and said she had read Big Eyes. She wanted to play Margaret.”

Creepy-eyed girl in Margaret Keane's 1963 In the Garden (there are many variations to the tile and date of this image, but here seems to be an authentic one).

Here is Adams as Margaret Keane, next to one of the creepy eyed "Big Eyes":



And here is Adams, in her Versace and Tiffany's:


Amy Adams in her lilac Versace gown
at the Golden Globes on Sunday



Adams was fully decked in Tiffany's at the Golden Globes, according to this site, with:

...drop earrings, a platinum and diamond five-row bracelet and a platinum and 2.12-carat square cushion modified brilliant diamond ring.

None of the major film critics are talking about the creepiness of Margaret Keane's illustrations (I cannot call them paintings). But a few dare to voice the obvious (albeit in single lines, or as their article heading).

Here's a review at the Nashiville Scene:

If you’re like me, perhaps you saw the trailer and groaned, “Why why why Margaret Keane?! Yack.”...What [Burton] can do is tell a stranger-than-fiction story about a creepy man who pretended to paint his wife’s creepy kid art.

Detail of Our Children, painted by Margaret Keane around 1960

In 1961, The Prescolite Manufacturing Corporation bought Our Children and presented it to the United Nations Children's Fund. It is in the United Nations permanent collection of art.

Here is the website of the artist, Margaret Keane.

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat

She Was So American

I took these photographs below of posters outside at the Bay's department store's "women's clothing" floor. I'm not sure why they have it there, and the sales women were unable to tell me. But I was struck by the femininity and beauty of the dresses, which were worn by:

That woman [who is] always seen lunching at smart restaurants - charmingly aware of the interests she excites. She's the woman who has traveled, whose leisure allows her wide cultural activities. She throws her time and energy into drives for her favorite charities, she encourages the opera, the ballet, the symphony, art exhibits. She's the influence behind the fashions that have carried our designers' names around the world. She's so American.[Text from the bottom of one of the posters]

I looked around the floor, which was the "fashion" section of the store. But there is nothing comparable to these clothes! There are a couple of nice red winter coats, but the dresses that may compare are glittery and shiny, and only good for a holiday outfit, and now for New Years (if anyone will wear them, and I doubt there will be many who will).

What a long way we've regressed with femininity and beauty!









Text at the bottom of the poster:

That woman always seen lunching at smart restaurants - charmingly aware of the interests she excites. She's the woman who has traveled, whose leisure allows her wide cultural activities. She throws her time and energy into drives for her favorite charities, she encourages the opera, the ballet, the symphony, art exhibits. She's the influence behind the fashions that have carried our designers' names around the world. She's so American.

[Photos By: KPA]
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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When All Else Fails, Try Goth

Amsale, Spring 2015


Carolina Herrera, Spring 2015

Amsale and Carolina Herrera use lace in a classic way.

Vera Wang designs tattered lace, and uses goth/vampire models to showcase them. There is a plethora of goth/vampire these days, which is probably what Wang is following, although goth seems a natural progression from her black wedding dresses.


Vera Wang, Spring 2015

That begs the question: Why? I think the answer is simple. It is Wang's lack of talent, and lack of skill. She changed from writing about fashion in Vogue for seventeen years to designing gowns where she found "Vogue was the best training ground any designer could have after." It is easier to design a tattered gown than one which is cut and shaped.

Amsale also came to fashion indirectly. She studied Political Science, but went to the Fashion Institute of Technology to study fashion after she designed her own wedding dress. She didn't have the presumption of thinking that just looking at wedding gowns would make her and expert designer.

Herrera grew up wearing high fashion. But, she too doesn't have the training. Her first designs were a test to see if she had the talent to pursue design. And she did, unlike Wang.

Although all three women had unconventional designing backgrounds, two - Amsale and Herrera - have the artistic talent for their work, and Wang doesn't.


"My bedroom is my sanctuary. It's like a refuge,
and it's where I do a fair amount of designing -
at least conceptually, if not literally."
From Business Insider: August 21, 2014

And there's Wang's work habits. Wang has advertised that she "designs" on her bed. It is no surprise what she comes up with.

Wang is not personally invested in marriage, and consequently in wedding dresses, as contradicory as that may sound. I think she went into wedding dress design as a marketing strategy. She divorced her husband of 23 years and "moved in" with the figure Olympic skater Evan Lysacek, who is some thirty years younger than her (she was 63 at the start of these stories, Lysacek was 27).

Herrera is in her second marriage, but she blames her youth to her unraveled first marriage, and has been married now for 46 years to her second husband. And Amsale has been married for 29 years.

Tattered chiffon and see-through lace have become the trade mark of Wang's dresses, who seems to be putting her marital disappointments and disillusionment into her dresses. And I believe that she is already not a very good designer, but is aggressive enough that she pushes her designs into the fashion world. And goth? Well, that is the life-denying imagery of contemporary art and design, where zombies and ghouls are quick becoming the representatives. It is not surprising that Wang follows this.

Here is Amsale's workspace, which looks like a mini-factory. And Herrera's atelier. Looking for Vera Wang work space through google, I found an image of Wang, in a work space (not bedroom), scribbling on the floor, with dogs running all over the paper. I don't think this was a "photo shoot" but rather an example of the slovenly habits of Wang. It is impossible to draw well on the floor, as my design experience has shown me.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Tresor

The beautiful Isabella Rossellini (the daughter of the even more beautiful Ingrid Bergman) was the "face" of Lancome's signiature perfume Tresor from 1982-1996.

I've had Tresor for years, and have gone through some bottles (I think three).

This last bottle is at its last stretches, so I went to the mall (The Bay) to find out about prices. A 30ml bottle is around $70. I told the salesman that it was my all time favorite perfume, and that I have about a month's worth left (I showed him my bottle). He got quite emotional, and said his mother used to wear it also. He then went into the back, and brought me a tiny sample bottle, usually given as gifts for other Lancome purchases. "You made my day!" I said, thanking him.

None of the subsequent models for Tresor have Rossellini's beauty.

Tresor has a combination scent of floral/fruity, which I think is perfect for summer.

Here are Tresor's notes:

Top: Pineapple, Lilac, Peach, Apricot Blossom, Lilly-if-the-Valley, Bergamot, Rose
Middle: Iris, Jasmine, Heliotrope, Rose
Base: Apricot, Sandalwood, Amber, Musk, Vanilla, Peach

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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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Post-Apocalyptic Vogue

Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, has a new wing named after her in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York.

Here's the announcemnt from the Met's website:

Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced today that the Museum will designate the space occupied by The Costume Institute as the Anna Wintour Costume Center. The complex has been completely redesigned and renovated and will reopen on May 8 with the inaugural exhibition Charles James: Beyond Fashion. The Anna Wintour Costume Center will house the Department’s exhibition galleries, library, conservation laboratory, research areas, and offices. The curatorial department itself will continue to be called The Costume Institute.

"Anna Wintour’s extraordinary advocacy and fundraising have made this state-of-the-art space a reality,” said Daniel Brodsky, the Museum’s Chairman. “She has the rare ability to rally diverse groups across a wide range of industries to support The Costume Institute so it can educate and inspire visitors from around the world."

Wintour may be at the helm of the most prestigious fashion magazine in the world, but her magazine has been continuously giving us ugliness over the years. I no longer, even if greatly tempted, spend the $6.99 (almost the price of a paperback book) to skim through tens of pages of adverizement to get to the "fashion," since this fashion is often ugly.

So, I was curious what Wintour wore to this inauguration, and here she is.


Anna Wintour, Awkward and Self-conscious

Her "gown" looks like tattered, discarded material stitched together.



And designed by Chanel. Which proves my point that modern clothing is designed to look ugly.

Below, on the left, is the original Chanel (couture) dress.



At least Wintour got rid of the shiny leather corset/belt, and pulled up the neckline, but she has left the cheap plastic gauze both at the top and at the bottom flare of the dress. Random pieces of the material are stuck on the bottom gauze.

The ornate diamond collar necklace she's wearing is incongruous with the patchwork style of the dress. But such is the haphazard style that I expect from Vogue.



Wintour's work out regime is well documented in her spindly, muscley arms.

Looking feminine and beautiful isn't really her objective. Perhaps it is "powerful" that might best describe the aim of these high profile women like Wintour. But then their wires get all crossed, and when they attempt the feminine, they end up looking awkward and self-conscious.

Chanel was well-known for the simple, elegant skirt and jacket ensembles. But, contemporary Chanel is the work of Karl Lagerfeld, the resident designer for that iconic fashion house, and it was he who designed this dress.

Lagerfeld's showcased this dress in front of the fashion elite:

The Chanel Couture fall/winter 2013-2014 collection got unveiled at the Grand Palais on July 3, 2013, during the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, giving us an insight into the future of Chanel, at least in the eyes of Karl Lagerfeld. The legendary designer has already gotten us used to his creative ways of making Chanel shows memorable, and this time he transformed the catwalk into a post-apocalyptic theatre. On the background of ruins, he channeled his wonderful couture creations that were apparently paying a tribute to tweed! “The Old World and the New World” was the title of the Chanel Couture fall/winter 2013-2014 collection, where the old was the ruins, and the new – the fab outfits.

The "Post-Apocalyptic" Fall/Winter 2013/2014 Chanel Show at the Grand Palais

This "post-apocalyptic" theater is what Anna Wintour condones as she wears the tattered rags by today's "fashion designer" in this "The Old World and the New World" scenario. The concrete walls were put up for the show, to cover the shining gold arches that support the walls of the Grand Palais, which was built in 1900 as an exhibition hall. Its architects, must be turning in their graves, as must Coco Chanel.


The interior of The Grand Palais from a 1900 illustration
with its gold arches in full spectacular view
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat
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