The Art of Conversation

I just came from the Guggenheim where German artist Tino Sehgal has created an experience-based artwork. Called “This Progress," the work begins with a child about 6 years old inviting you to join her as she skips forward inside the museum. She then asks you to define progress, and from there you begin a long conversation that continues as you ascend the museum’s winding ramp.

As you walk, you are passed on to older generations, first a teenager and at the end someone who seems to be over 60. There are no paintings on the wall or sculptures standing, it’s just conversation the whole way up.

I told the child that progress is achieved through an increase in health and happiness, which ultimately led to a college freshman telling me how she missed the comforts of home but also enjoyed struggle, a 20-something considering how the notion of autonomy figured into his romantic life, and an older man explaining in fine detail his relationship with the world when living in the city or rural Vermont.

I was thoroughly charmed. And the thoughts generated by the artwork are still bouncing around in my head.

Gearing up for Fall 2010

The Fashion Weeks in Rio and SP have just wrapped up and WGSN was at both events to capture all the latest trends.

One of the biggest stories in Rio was the strong metallic pallette, seen at numerous shows including Printing (pictured left), Coven and new Brazilian fashion star Lucas Nascimento (pictured right), whose conceptual collection was made up almost entirely of lurex metallic knits in shades of burnished pink, chocolate, gold and copper.

Next stop on the catwalk agenda will be New York Fashion Week next month (February 12-19), followed closely by London Fashion Week (February 20-25) and numerous trade shows in Vegas (MAGIC, Project and Pool) and NY (Coterie). Rest assured, if you can't make it to any of these events yourself, WGSN will be there for you.

February is a non-stop month for fashion editors, buyers and designers and WGSN is hosting a series of seminars during the shows in Vegas which should help you through the must-have minefield of the season. We'll also be previewing our macro trends for Spring/Summer 2011. Not to mention, providing a very fashionable breakfast and lunch! For more information, and to register, click here.

MJR x Luceo: Make-do

Photo collectives MJR and Luceo teamed up for Make Do, a limited-edition fine art print publication that explores the cultural struggle within America as it embraces a ‘new’ era of change. The magazine was celebrated with a party and gallery show at 25CPW in Manhattan, where guests checked out large-scale reproductions of the publication pages and had the opportunity to pick up a limited-edition copy.

MJR and Luceo's members come from all over the world - from Philadelphia to Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City to Atlanta - and photograph all over the world, in places like Patagonia, Mississippi, Mt. Everest and Los Angeles, creating 13 very distinct points-of-view. Shooting their American subjects in both black and white and in color for Make Do, the photographers bring their own specific viewpoint to the subject matter, shaping individual Americas through light, color and subject and providing a wealth of color inspiration.

Sun, sea and submarine for the SS10 collections in New York

Ltr: Macy's , Chloé, American Apparel

Mustards are translating well into SS10 in New York. These musty yellows are paired with soft grey toned accessories or vice versa, both in womens- and menswear. Traditionally a fall color, mustard is now leading the way to a subdued colour palette for spring and brings a soft color boost to the ever so popular black on black.

Ltr: Forever 21, Chanel and Bloomingdales

The nautical direction is coming back strong for spring with Breton striped tees, sweaters, knits, dresses...you name it. Nautical themed accessories ranging from Chanel to Banana Republic and even full on themed windows at Forever 21 confirms.

Ltr: Matthew Williamson, Roberto Cavalli and Emanuel Ungaro

We also dive into the deep sea for SS10 with lots of cobolt, teal and royal blues in the collections. Sheer and draped materials adds to the fluidity and digital patterns mimick the subaquatic.

Pee-wee catches wind in Brooklyn

I was recently in New York where I noticed a Hollywood icon surfacing the streets of Williamsburg - Pee-wee Herman. On one block, a Pee-wee doll was sitting in the window of a computer store and nearby was a giant graphic sticker of the pop culture icon flying on his trusty bicycle. Below him, a pair of flying underwear.

Now that the endearing pop culture icon is currently making his one month long theatrical stage presence at LA's Club Nokia (from January 12-February 7), New York has caught wind of the Pee-Wee phenomenon too, resulting in all sorts of imagery celebrating the magic, whimsy and imagination that Pee-Wee brought to his fans all over the world. 

For all of us that grew up in the 90s and watched him on Saturday morning TV as a kid, it's pretty cool to see the funny man with the red bow tie infiltrate pop culture once again, 20 years later, on the streets of New York.

New York's chic cold-weather must

I'm in our Manhattan office this week and I've noticed that fur is the cold-weather solution for New Yorkers both young and old. It's an obvious key trend for winter 2010 - we spotted lots on the catwalks at Lanvin, Alexander Wang and Giambattisa Valli. 

It translates well to mass market with accessories. I espeically love the fur earmuffs - a cheap, chic and utilitarian way to sport this trend. 

The Toughest Sport on Earth! ™ in NYC

For a unique source of inspiration, nothing gets more exciting than witnessing some real American bull riding.

Over the past weekend the PBR, Professional Bull Riding, held their annual The Toughest Sport on Earth! ™ event in Madison Square Garden.

The atmosphere, the skill the riders showed and the outfits they wore were outstanding and very inspirational. Fill-length leather chaps, high-waisted cowboy jeans and cowboy hats were part of the riders' uniforms.

You made this!

The snood should be a big trend by next fall/winter and is already a best seller at Soho shop Wool and The Gang, which also goes by “crazy, sexy, wool”.

But better than buying it off the shelf ($139), you can make your own knitted hood/scarf by following a very simple rectangular pattern available in one of the stores knitting kits ($95, complete with needles). No experience required.

Wool and the Gang
98 Thompson Street
http://www.woolandthegang.com/

RVCA's new Fairfax digs

I featured RVCA's Haight Ashbury location in Retail Talk a while back, so I'm excited to report about the surf/skate brand's newest store on Fairfax. The small but open space takes over streetwear brand SLB's old spot and uses simple, retro fixtures made out of dark wood and Formica. The store also has an intimate reading area where shoppers can peruse a copy of the brand's popular art mag, ANP Quarterly.

Since Fairfax Village has become a streetwear boys club over the last several years, I was excited to see RVCA's equal representation of both men's and women's fashions, including several hard-to-find Erin Wasson X RVCA pieces. I was also pleasantly surprised by the stores recession-friendly prices - most items were well under $100.

Superimposing New York: Fred Lebain

We have been witnessing a number of artists, photographers and designers that have been transforming items and scenes from the everyday into wonderful and inspiring art. New York-based Lebain is no exception. The artist takes images of familiar places then returns to the same spot later on and superimposes the images to create stunning and very engaging imagery.

As the photographic process changes with new technologies, it's very refreshing to see an artist that explores how to further engage the viewer by using simple, yet clever solutions.

Transparency at Lululemon Lab

Remember when everybody was talking about transparency as the next big idea, in broader social terms as well as in marketing? Here’s a great example:

Lululemon’s “Lab” concept store in Vancouver makes the whole design process visible to customers. Walk in and you’ll see inspiration tear sheets, sketches, patterns and even the sewers themselves.

The product is different from signature Lululemon merchandise, which is marketed as activewear. The Lab merchandise is designed to be streetwear, which happens to use technical fabrics for a sporty look.

You can get involved at a more personal level by building your own “Groove Pants”, or by sketching an idea all your own, which is added to the store’s “Ideas Vault.”

KE$HA - a style icon in the making?

According to our subscribers, Lady Gaga is the biggest celebrity influence on fashion at the moment, beating out not only Kate Moss, but also Anna Wintour, Michelle Obama and Audrey Tautou in a recent WGSN poll.

Working on the youth street section at WGSN, I'm always looking for the next fashion icon to emerge from the world of pop and this week I'm inspired by 22-year-old singer Ke$ha and her decidedly grunge-rocker/glam look. Think Courtney Love meets Keith Richards.

She’s known for her signature savage bedhead look and preference for leather leggings or lace tights and sequined attire, which blends a bit of grunge, the dark romance trend and the sport meets glamour look I've been tracking on WGSN. She's unafraid to experiment with fashion trends and it will be interesting to see how her personal style develops.

Her sound mixes a bit of rap and heavy pop hooks against electronic beats and right now you can't go anywhere without hearing her catchy hit single, Tik Tok. Her album, Animal officially releases today, January 5.

To view the Tik Tok video on YouTube click here:

History matters, NYC

Young people's on-going interest in the past continues to inspire both fashion and art.

Here in New York, I have been noticing an increased number of street artists referencing a specific historical movement with their poster art.

It's refreshing to see how much respect the creators of these two posters have showed for the past. Not long ago, street art used to be more about techniques such as crazy splatters over Mona Lisa's face.

I love how extremely different these two posters are, one for the 28 HOURS OF INNOVATIVE ART event and the other for Brooklyn's flea market Pop-up edition in the city.