τὰ πάντα ῥεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει

By Neslihan
skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip-skip
OMGZ U GUYZ IVE GOTZ SO MUCH TO DO
AND SO LIL TIME 2 BLAWG
It's the typical blogger talk, blogs are made for complaining, so what's the fuzz? We're not saving the world, we just trend volatile stuff and hop to the next big thing. Please do read those previous lines with the required irony because I try to trend as little as possible. I try to register the things I like, you know, creating this archive for myself. And if you're willing to read my bs, then I'm more than humbled, dear reader. So yeah, things are quite wild at the moment, I've got a lot of deadlines for school that I have to meet. But I'm keeping calm, since that's only the way I'll make it to the end of this schoolyear. I realize I sound a little negative but that's because of the lack of sleep. Yesterday was my friend's birthday (happy birthday, J! 11th time already!) and we went out to get some drinks. I really had the best time and at a certain moment I wanted to stop time and step out of my body and look at us. Just look and let the moment last a little longer. Don't you love being a teenager? One moment the whole world stops turning and you're just indifferent about the things around you and then life sucks you back into the moment. I feel like I'm still going through those extreme moodswings. And I don't have to justify myself for it. Cuz I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby (I just had to)! I guess what I'm trying to say is that time does go by really fast and things don't stay as they are now. I mean if I compare myself to the person I was 6 years ago, I wouldn't recognize myself. Even if I'd compare myself to the person I was a year ago. I know this sounds a little drastic but a lot can change in a year. The people you hang out with, the way you perceive things, the way you look at some people. Things that dawn, just like that and you see the importance of some things, some poeple in life. I guess I'm having a profound personal moment here. The title remains a mystery until I feel ready to reveal my initial plan with you.

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Meet Andrea Dezso, a Transylvanian-born artist who embroiders the most spectacular scenes. Embroidery sounds really boring and dusty but look what she does with it. The embroidery above is from the 'Lessons from my mother' series. In this series she embroiders a couple of her mother's sayings that are based on superstition or old Transylvanian sayings and legends. This creates sometimes funny and sometimes surrealistically weird effects. This also reminded me of a couple of Turkish sayings (based on superstition):

1)Wash your face in the morning or else the devil will wash it with his pee 

(I ALWAYS wash my face in the morning 'cause ew, no.)

2)Don't cut your nails when it's night

3)Don't go to bed crying because this delights the devil

 4)Wear slippers indoor because the cold floor will leave you infertile

5)Never spoil your last bite because your food will cry after you

Visit her site for her other artworks: http://andreadezso.com

Grand art versus kitsch bitch

By Neslihan

"So two days ago I went to the opera" might be an unusual beginning to a blog post but it is the truth though. It wasn't on my own initiative, it was an -and I quote- "educational, obligatory and relevant activity" according to my Latin teacher. So, here's where we pause. The opera. Maybe we should take one thing into account: you're talking to pop culture teenagers, who watch superficial American teenage drama series in order to escape reality. And not some 18th century opera composed by a random, dusty-wigged German composer. Yes, I'm talking about Händel and his 'Agrippina'. And yes, I'm ignorant, a total layman when it comes to opera or classical music. The idea of sitting in this huge opera hall for FOUR hours just didn't sound that appealing (at first). Hey, take it down a notch, this is our first opera.
 Older generations (grandma/granddad/mother/father/teacher/neighbour) like to make us believe we are the result of the volatile consumer society in which durability and norms have been replaced by tendentious pleasure. Isn't that a little too negative and black and white? And isn't it normal that older generations nag about the generation following them. How will my generation be over twenty years? 
So I decided to give this opera thingy a chance because what is there to lose, right? And it seemed like opera is all about repetitive great gestures. And as I looked at Agrippina (Ann Hallenberg) and heard her impressive voice, I started to wonder: are we used to great gestures like these? Can we handle this much emotion, ambition and passion? Are we able to sit on a chair and focus on only one thing? And although it's dangerous to talk for a mass, I'm going to do it anyway. No, I don't think we are able to do so. In a world in which everything changes too fast, it is important to know a little of everything. So you know everything but only fragments of it. Specialization takes effort and effort takes time. And time still is money, often money we don't have.
So Agrippina, your ambition scared us all after a heavy day of school. We were tired and sceptical, you gave your all and were fierce in your tacky Dynasty costume because that's also something the world of Grand Arts is suffering from: modernizing classics. I never understood why they do such horrible things. Well no, of course I do understand; they want to make it more 21st century, more temporary, more 'us'. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but either way it awakens a hell of reactions and that's when you know it's good, whether it works or not. So those tacky kitschy 80's costumes and huge hats were the right choice. And even those artificial tacky holiday backgrounds were well-found, eventhough I hated them, I must say, well done. What a wonderful clash between a classic and major tackiness.
Another succesful temporary interpretation of classics are Kehinde Wiley's modern paintings. The Afro-American artist paints African, African-American, Afro-Brazilian, Indian and Ethiopian-Jewish (Beta Israel) men in heroic poses. He mixes baroque prints with divine florals and all his paintings seem to have this intense vibe. See for yourself and maybe take a moment and ask yourself: "What if Napoleon was African?"

'Prince Tommaso

Francesco of Savoy-Carignano', 2006

Viva Frida Kahlo

By Neslihan

There has been written a lot about Frida Kahlo. Whether it's about her dramatic life story or her art, there's always something to tell about Kahlo. Not to mention her joyful and flamboyant style. She'd go for vibrant colours and not only in her paintings. Frida was a living painting herself. She'd wear long skirts or dresses combined with colourful scarves and enormous flowers on her head. Her way of accessorizing was also very striking: big earrings and traditional necklaces would top things off. I'm also a huge fan of her paintings: they're all inspired by a traumatic tram accident she had been through earlier in her life. Therefore you'll see lots of self-portaits. Her work is classified as surrealistic art. Painfully real and macabre but yet full of life because of the colours she uses. That's of course my impression and that's the fun thing about art: everyone can have a different opinion because it's so personal. 

But let's return to the fashion side. Frida Kahlo's style is being copied all over the world. Not all of it of course; you can leave that full monobrow and moustache behind you. Instead we're going to focus on details. Such as skulls, florals and traditional embroidery.

Ali Gulec  has already appeared on this blog because of an illustration I had used as background. I can see similarities between his and Kahlo's work: skulls in te most striking colours creating a macabre fantasy.

Bra/top with aztec print @Topshop (£25)

Image from Armando Mafud's spring (2009) collection. Look at the typical Mexican embroidery.

Edun pants 

Great summery tee (EUR 14.95) @H&M

Maybe it's still too hot to wear a thick jumper but I definitely appeciate Isabel Marant's reference to Mexico.

How perfect is this skirt? @Mango (EUR 29.99)

Let's not forget Tavi's DIY crowns!

They can look through you

By Neslihan

Hello there,

It's been a bit quiet around here but this blog post will change that fact. I won't share something fashiony today but it has to do with art. So back in September when Walter van Beirendonck, a Belgian fashion designer, (read) was editor for a day for a Belgian newspaper, I saw a photograph taken by Diane Arbus. And I was thrilled. Looking at this picture made me realise that I wasn't analysing the picture but the picture was analysing me. You get the inevitable impression that it just keeps staring at you. It's so freaky and so incredibly intense but also too beautiful and perfect to be true. It's so loud in all its serenity that it becomes really shocking. And for a certain moment I felt like I couldn't look away, it just holds your attention and makes you look at it every time again. Wikipedia describes Diane's work this way: "Diane Arbus was known for her photographs of outsiders and people on the fringes of society. " And I couldn't have said it better because it's so true. All though her work is about the so said 'outsiders' or weirdos, it's never her intention to ridiculise someone. She just makes you look at her photographs and look back and back and back...

Identical twins, Rossele, New Jersey, 1967 (the picture I'm talking about above)

Teenage couple on Hudson street, NYC, 1963

Girl sitting in bed with her boyfriend, NYC, 1966

Young Brooklyn family going for a Sunday outing, Brooklyn, 1966

Patriotic young man with a flag, NYC, 1967

I wanna do bad things to you

By Neslihan 

Hi there loyal reader,

Some of you might've noticed the blog's theme has changed. It has become more us in a way. The skull is designed by Ali Gulec, a Turkish illustrator/designer, who's based in Istanbul. He hasn't designed this specially for us. God, no. We'd feel really honored though but unfortunately that's not the case. I'm following this blog on tumblr. and get really inspired by the owner behind it. He/she posts some really amazing artworks and that's how I bumped into this cool illustration. So, Ali Gulec also creates prints for T-shirts and has something with skulls. I love the way he changes the true symbol of death, which is rather macabre, into a sweet, dreamy and vivid image of life. You should definitely visit this site to see more of his artworks. The second thing I wanted to share was Piece Of Chic. Piece of WHAT? Well, calm down honey, I'm about to explain. Piece Of Chic is a brand founded by the duo Barbara Repole and Sebastien Pescarello. They are graphic designers and each season they create a collection consisting of a couple dresses. The dresses are designed according to a certain theme. This collection was all about the Virgin Mary, florals, skeletons and...that's right, skulls! The collection is named after an AC/DC song, Highway To Hell, saying that there is no such thing as death but only a change of style. They reinvent R.I.P. by saying it's an acronym for Rest In Piece Of Chic. I loved the first dress when I had seen it on Belmodo, a Belgian Fashion blog. So I want to thank guest editor, Absolutely Mrs. K, for the eye candy. Enjoy the dresses and have a crazy week.

Love.

Info at http://www.bypieceofchic.com/ 

By Ali Gulec (previous background)