MyDrift

Belated Treat

alissa — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 01:34:59 +0000

Q: Why celebrate a holiday that encourages children to gain weight and rot their teeth? A: It is one of the only occasions when it is appropriate for “kids” of all ages to dress up. Costumes give us a chance to create a new look and persona. Or we can even become an inanimate object. (I was once a grapefruit juice box complete with bendy straw.) Clothing, makeup and prosthetics can also offer the opportunity to temporarily or permanently take on another gender. Every year on the Tuesday before Halloween, this freedom is celebrated with a spirited drag parade followed by a high heeled race in the Dupont Circle area. If you are ever in our Nation’s Capital the week before Halloween, do not miss this annual treat. Follow the link for a taste of what you missed this year.

Missing the Marc

alissa — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 01:00:13 +0000

Like every twenty-something woman who considers herself fashionable, I keep up on the latest in Marc Jacobs clothing, bags and shoes. (Note: This does not necessarily mean purchase.) The shoes don’t stack up to Mr. Jacobs’ other creations due largely to their lack of comfort—it is clear that style comes first in the house of Marc. Footwear, more than any other wearable, is about a marriage of comfort and aesthetics; an itchy shirt is bearable, but oozing blisters are not. The Fall Marc Jacobs (not Marc by Marc Jacobs) collection might make edgy fashionistas drool, but will surely make orthopedists everywhere quake in their boots. The platform that visually and structurally bonds the heel to the toe is admittedly interesting and avant garde, but looks like a locomotion nightmare. The sculptural heels will serve their purpose in editorial shoots, but as far as the real world goes, they’re more buyer beware than ready-to-wear.

Photography from W Magazine

Constant Motion

alissa — Fri, 26 May 2006 13:27:53 +0000

I feel like I’m always moving. That could be because I’ve changed residences every year for the past 8 years. Things would probably be easier for me if I just decided to live out of boxes and make furniture out of cardboard. With more people than ever moving frequently due to changing jobs, lifestyles or significant others, the best way to keep track of people you know is through e-mail. Even with everything being electronic these days, it’s nice to have a record of friends’ home addresses for sending cards or gifts. I like the idea of sending physical notes rather than cyber ones to let people know your address has changed. Check out the clever version I saw at The Container Store.

Next time you move, make your postcards from used packing materials once you’ve arrived at your destination. Just make a more elegant font choice than the juvenile one seen here. A smart idea deserves a smart execution.

Offbeat Terminology

alissa — Wed, 10 May 2006 02:11:20 +0000

When did men’s undershirts and undershirt-inspired, ribbed tanks become known as wifebeaters? The term seems to have resulted from notions of abuse associated with the “white trash” stereotype, and certain film characters and celebrities who have sported this particular type of garment.

If you ever found it unnerving to call a shirt a wifebeater, you aren’t alone. Moises Emquies, who is behind the tee shirt line Splendid, decided to challenge the use of the term. She teamed with Liveawear, a non-profit organization founded in 2005. Together they’re offering plain white tanks printed with the simple, yet powerful statement “not a wifebeater.” According to an article that appeared in WWD in January, Emquies is donating 50% of the wholesale price of the shirts to the non-profit.

I admit that that the Liveawear logo, with its vibrant yellow a, leaves something to be desired. That’s not really the point though – as stated on the Liveawear site “raising awareness and the prevention of relationship abuse” is. The $40 tank is both a fashion statement and a political one. Helping women (and men) in tough relationships everywhere – you can’t beat that.

Available for purchase at www.liveawear.org and www.intermix.com

Art School Vogue

alissa — Thu, 27 Apr 2006 15:38:20 +0000

What has a waiting list longer than the latest Hermes bag and is only slightly less exciting than the shows at Bryant Park during fashion week? You won’t get the answer on your own, so just let me tell you: the annual student fashion show at The Maryland Institute College of Art. This year’s show titled Vogue: A Celebration in Fashion took place this past weekend. Two nights in a row, lively models of all shapes and sizes paraded on the makeshift catwalk sporting the work of 18 young designers in front of a packed house. Proceed to the full post where I’ve provided snapshots of some garments for your viewing pleasure.

Designers by row top to bottom: Erica Prince, Andrea Bocchio, Kaliq Crosby, Nuria Frances

Deco Is Hot & Flashy

alissa — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 14:22:29 +0000

It’s common for advertising, packaging and posters from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s to be copied, quoted and commented on in contemporary design work. Stores like Old Navy just love to go retro with their fashions and promotions.

The always luxurious, elegantly geometric and often gaudy work of the 1920’s has, in my opinion, been overlooked as a source of direct inspiration. The recent surge of intense and layered ornamentation in illustration does share elements with the work of artists like Erte; however, it is not a tribute or throwback time of the flapper. Here’s a smokin’ new product line from Blue Q (masters of freakishly fun packaging) that looks like it was pulled straight from the era of the bob.

Blue Q’s creative copy updates 20’s visuals, directing them towards a new audience: pre- and post-menopausal women. Yup. Hot & Flashy, with its 20’s styling, is aimed at ladies born in the 40’s and 50’s. Novelty gifts that are both humorous in tone and classy in looks are tough to come by for women going through “the change.” So I say, change things up and give your mother, aunt or sister an Art Deco chapstick.

New Angle on Water

alissa — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 00:42:52 +0000

Some store bought beverages are comfortable to drink out of the container and some aren’t. It depends on the diameter of the opening and the size of the drinker’s mouth and nose. It seems unsanitary that our nostrils often end up hovering above our soda, juice or water. The other day I encountered drinking perfection with Fruit Water. The new bottle for this particular beverage has an angled mouth making it a pleasure to drink from. We’ll have to wait and see if other companies follow suit.

Holy Grail of Tees?

alissa — Sun, 26 Mar 2006 23:30:10 +0000

Grail tees, by Peter Ross, have maintained their “it” item status. I thought at 80 bucks or more a pop that success for the company might be short-lived despite the obvious appeal of their products. The reason for the high price point, and one of the draws of Ross’s fashions, is the customization process. Each shirt or sweat pant is printed with graphic/s, and made unique with paint and bleach splatters. It can’t hurt Grail’s business that the skull, their main motif, aside from their logotype, is enjoying a moment in the spotlight.

Traditionally associated with punk and Grey’s Anatomy (the famed medical illustrations, not the TV show), drawings of this essential human structure are enjoying a mainstream moment. I find the most successful incarnations of the trend to be those that glamorize the skull: pave jewelry, Robin Rotenier cufflinks and J.Press ties. Grail uses the skull in combination with flowers, hummingbirds and butterflies to balance scary and sweet.

I’ll share a little secret if you promise to take it to the grave with you. I got a to-die-for deal on my Grail goodies at Loehmann’s, my favorite place to do designer discount digging. Alas, poor fashion, I know it well.

One Woman’s Trash

alissa — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 22:42:56 +0000

Is of course, another woman’s treasure. We all know it is a good idea to recycle, conserve and generally be aware of the planet. Somehow actively pursuing what’s ecologically friendly is, in popular culture, often linked with being unstylish. We picture Birkenstocks with socks, and bland, natural colors. However, there are actually great gifts out there for green and need-to-be-more-green friends that have some funk to them.

The three items pictured above all have a fantastic honesty about them; you know exactly what they’re made of. I prefer useful items over sculptural ones, so my favorite is the trash can made of…paper trash. The bottle cap man is cute I suppose, but has an overly crafty feel, and may best serve his purpose in the recycling bin.

Shop for waste basket, picture frame and other great, green goodies at 3rliving

Bottle Cap Man can be found at the International Folk Art Museum gift shop

Gocco Oh No

alissa — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 22:47:27 +0000

Bad News: Print Gocco is vanishing.

If you’ve experienced Riso’s Print Gocco, you know it’s magical. It is a self-contained screen printing gadget. It allows you burn (make) a screen with Gocco-specific flash bulbs, and then use the same machine to stamp your design. There’s no mess unless you’re a total slob. It works for business cards, stationery, bumper stickers, t-shirts (with special fabric ink) and just about everything else. In short, the Print Gocco is an amazing DIY tool.

Now just a year after I purchased mine, the awful news that sales to the United States are being discontinued is circulating. Apparently the announcement sent fans of the wonder printer into a mass panic, rushing to stockpile screens and bulbs. From what I’ve read, it seems certain that Print Gocco and supplies will continue to be produced in Japan, but the stock in the States will run out in about three years. (For anyone planning a trip overseas, bring an empty suitcase.)

One fan has started a site devoted to saving our supply: www.savegocco.com. Visit it to download the Gocco image seen here. Print them everywhere to show you Gocco or want to Gocco!