Romance Was Born: Comic Couture

{photos via} Comics Beat, Dangerous Minds, Vogue Australia, and Trendhunter

Kapow! Fashion Week Australia is throwing some serious punches! Sydney-based line Romance Was Born presented a runway inspired by the likes of Marvel Comics and Jack Kirby. Some of the wildly fantastic prints hint at Kirby's work in The Eternals as well as borrowing from seven decades of Marvel's archives.

Designers Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales, the masterminds behind the line, showcased looks ranging from femme fatale villainess to super heroine. Each characterization was captured masterfully in tailored peplums, sequined corsets, and patterned jumpsuits. Fashionising said of the line, "the friendship between superheroes and fashion is a powerful one; they both obsess over the body, its transformation and identity. The dual identity in comic book superheroes metaphorically correlates with Romance Was Born’s fashion story for this collection."

Romance Was Born is a seriously inventive line, just check out the titles of their previous collections: Renaissance Dinosaur, anyone? Yes, please! Mark my words, this line is going to be one to watch. I can't wait until SS13 to scoop up some of these looks! I've always been one to geek out over comics (yes, that's a Tokidoki Marvel Frenzies Hulk on my Proenza Schouler PS1 bag) so this collection is making me seriously giddy. Do I spy with my little eye Silver Surfer on a dress and Doctor Doom printed on a blouse? My inner caped crusader is very very pleased.

Find out more about Romance Was Born here.

Strangers and Skinny Girls

{fig. 1-3} Pictures in an exhibition {fig. 4} The artist himself- The Great Max Wittert (love the print on his shirt!) {fig. 5} Gallery style- Camille poses in a fantastic vintage top

What does a true "Skinny Girl" eat for dinner? She doesn't eat silly, she drinks her dinner, and it had best be at least 80 proof! The Skinny Girl's Dinner was just one of the artist-created specialty cocktails served on Saturday night at the opening of the exhibit Strangers at YeaHeavy Gallery. My dear friend Max Wittert was one of the artists involved, and his paintings were nothing short of spectacular! I wish we lived in a world where Max was the creative force behind a clothing line because I would wear the h-e-double-hockeysticks out of everything that he paints! Max is also the brilliant talent behind the comic "Skinny Girls", check it out here and do check it out because you seriously don't know what you're missing!

Gallery opening attire is always delightfully imaginative as the event itself inspires creative dressing. The look for the evening was easily black tights and cut-off denim. I spotted this pairing on at least four gallery-goers during the night. I suspect it's the perfect combo for the transitioning Los Angeles weather which is still gently grasping at winter.

Strangers is described as a show celebrating the people "that we once met or never knew - the figures that tickled our fancy or haunt our imagination. Those in-between, never-caught-your-name, saw-you-once-in-a-photograph, fictitious friends that we love."

Do go and see it! Strangers will be running at YeaHeavy until the end of the month, for more info see here.

science vs romance

{dress} Alexa Chung for Madewell Betty Tea Dress {coat} Le Fou by Wilfred silk jacquard quilted jacket {belt} Rachel Comey {model} Elise {photographed at the Natural History Museum}

The Natural History Museum is easily one of my favorite places in Los Angeles. I can get lost amidst the dinosaur bones, bird taxidermy, antlers, and minerals on display for hours on end. The museum also happens to be the perfect backdrop for photo shoots. My insanely beautiful friend Elise was my model this trip. Elise is awesome. She's an incredibly talented stylist and interior designer, not to mention this girl leads a crazy life and she always has an interesting story to tell.

Elise models one of my favorite jackets from Le Fou in an amazing mustard color, and a vintage-inspired dress with pleated skirt from Alexa Chung's collection for Madewell. The jacquard and the polka-dot combo is a subtle play on the pattern on pattern trend which I absolutely love. Her make-up look is au naturel inspired by the golden wood tones in the museum and sparkly pink of rose quartz. Elise is wearing two of my favorite eyeshadows from MAC: Woodwinked, a warm antique gold, and All That Glitters, a shimmery pink champagne. Both shades look really fantastic against her bronzed skin.

meet me in montauk

{fig. 1} via concurrencies {fig. 2} via hiitstuesday {fig. 3} via fuckyeahtealbluegreenhair

In my teen years most of my gal friends were dying their hair every color of the rainbow. Supposedly most adolescent girls are subject to go through a "crazy hair" or rather a "creative hair" phase with Ramona Flowers as the Patron Saint. I never went through such a phase. Blame my naturally black-as-night locks that immediately turn red at the hint of any dye for my aversion to hair color experimentation. Now, years later I yearn for hair the color of sea spray and cotton candy and neon lights. Most of all, I am absolutely smitten with teal hair, like Clementine in Eternal Sunshine, only greener.

The photos above illustrate my point perfectly. In my mind the girl with teal hair is this romantic character who embraces spontaneity and laughs in the face of danger. She's the girl that pulls the fire alarm and then runs away leaving you to take the blame. She reads Baudelaire on Sunday mornings, and some days she just gets into the car to drive, destination: no where in particular. Her hair is magic and it is the source of all of her superpowers.

metamorphic or sedimentary?

{top} Le Fou by Wilfred {shorts} Funktional {shoes} Elizabeth and James {photos by: Naomi}

Visiting the Natural History Museum it's fun to pretend to be a geologist or a paleontologist when walking amongst the dinosaur bones and cases filled with shinies. These were some of my favorite subjects when I was in school, so it brings back happy memories of learning about fossils, rocks, and crystal formations. Do you remember being little and how everything captured your imagination? I just remember the look of wonder in my eyes when I would stare at dino skeletons, amazed that such things existed.

The color of this Le Fou silk blouse almost matches the Citrines on display. I love the way the shoulders drape. The tulip -cut front of these Funktional shorts remind me of a pair from Rachel Comey's collection. The star print on them is also pretty rad, not to mention they fit the theme. The perfect outfit for a day at the museum!

burn the maps

{fig. 1 & 2} Susan Stockwell exhibit via Topshop blog {fig. 3} Carven Map Print Dress via hiyashishop

Vintage maps are one of my favorite things ever, especially the really old school ones with sea monsters drawn lurking in the oceans. I horde old maps whenever I can find them, and books that contain maps of fictional lands tend to make me giddy (sigh, Westeros). I think I would have loved to have been an old timey cartographer surveying the land and translating it on paper. Recently, map prints have infiltrated the fashion world, and I am jumping for joy! Carven's dress is just too good for words. I can stare at it for hours and get lost in the print's topography.

More literally, British artist Susan Stockwell has created amazing ball gowns constructed from maps and paper money. These works are her artistic commentary on colonialism and the British empire. Her dresses are life-size sculptures that utilize survey and military maps pieced together to create intricate and beautiful dresses. Trendland explains, "using military maps to create a woman's dress sends a double message of war and politics being dominated by men in Western history."

In the words of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Maps! Wait. They don't love you like I love you..."

such great heights

{jacket} Rebecca Taylor {strapless dress} Elizabeth and James {bag} Topshop {shoes} Kristen Lee

A sure sign of winter's demise and the coming of spring is the first barbeque of the season. My really talented friend Paris, who's in a band called Popheart, and his girlfriend Rie hosted a great little shindig on their rooftop near Echo Park. The perfect night to break out my Elizabeth and James strapless dress that happens to be made from a cozy gray-heather sweatshirt-like material. The sky was three shades of purple as the band played. We munched on chips and hotdogs, all while Los Angeles faded into night. What a view!