Mad Men(icures) II

For me, the overt sexual appeal of January Jones in this accessory ad is undercut by her manicure, as I've written about here.

But isn't it amusing to see "Betty" don Versace?

Alices in Miss Rumphius-land

Tonight I watched Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and although it was full of effects that are no doubt special, my eye and mind were drawn to the final scene, during which Alice boards a merchant ship bound for China.

It reminded me of an illustration from Barbara Cooney's Miss Rumphius, my favourite picture book, in which a little girl, also named Alice, goes to visit her grandfather, who carves figureheads for ships, among other things.

Though we see only a glimpse of the harbour, the ships peeking around the buildings are enough to let my imagination soar.

In fact, I think I may begin to believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast.*

And why stop there, when lunch and dinner are still hours away?


* adapted from Lewis Carroll

Just Glovely

These occasional gloves just might be my "black sheep sweater" for the forthcoming spring royal wedding.

Unlike Diana's wardrobe, Kate's does not inspire me to fashion an homage but these witty gloves possess just the right amount of cheek and cheese.

By the Light of the Silvery Shoon

Truth be told: I looked for silver shoes so that I could use the archaic plural of shoes (shoon) that I just learned via a Frank Norris essay.

But I do think that these Manolo Blanhik shoon are lovely.

If I wore jeans, I'd pair these shoon with some skinny blues.

And these vintage shoon from Canada's virtual shoe museum have a pretty silver accent.

Borrowing from myself on Twitter:  it would be a pleasure to buy some new shoon soon.  And yoon?

Voids and Vitrines: A-Dressing Female Sexuality

It's not groundbreaking to make fashion from a psychoanalytical perspective; Bella Freud did that capably a couple of decades ago with her famous Freudian Slip dress.

This floaty frock boasted a large image of the designer's grandfather, Dr. Freud, on its front.

I am, however, currently intrigued by two dresses that call upon the latent Lacanian scholar in me, dresses that appear to represent perspectives on female sexuality by depicting portals at each garment's midsection.

For his spring 2009 collection, Christopher Kane printed enormous heads of gorillas, baboons, and apes on tops and dresses, each with a wide open mouth.

Notice the placement of the gorilla's mouth

Is the gaping mouth on these dresses suggestive of a Freudian abyss, a void?

If so, there is a cheerier prospect for spring 2011, via the designer Mary Katrantzou.

Katrantzou's portals are well-appointed rooms (wombs?) with a good view.

in Vogue's Index, January 2011

worn with a cozy

Her images come from photographs by Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton, photographers who knew a thing or two about picturing female sexuality themselves.

Which portal do you prefer, gentle readers? Kane's black hole?  Or Katrantzou's "dress-ing room"?

Juxt-A-Poses by Miss Moss

Juxtapositions are an art and Miss Moss, a South African graphic designer, works them to perfection.

Here are a couple of my favorites, from Erdem's latest collection, above and below,

and from Atonement, a visually gorgeous film, about which I've written here.

Just loverly.

For the Birds: Bottega Veneta Nesting Instincts

Why is this bird circling this woman?

Is it because she is a modern-day Tippi Hedren, vamping her way through a Hitchcock storyboard?

No: it is because her Bottega Veneta woven bag reminds the bird of its nest, a gentle place to rest its weary feathers.



*Apologies for not mentioning the photographer/artist, Alex Prager!