Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes

If you haven’t heard of Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, you probably will soon. Besides being a critics’ favorite at Coachella, their song “Home” has been featured in the latest Palm web OS commercial. Being an alternative-folk band, a genre that is growing in the LA music scene, their music is commercially appealing as is their carefully crafted, folksy 70s styled image. I predict they will be on many 2010 playlists as well as influencing West Coast street fashion.

We love...Elsa Billgren

All images reblogged from www.elle.se/elsa-billgren

Swedish blogger Elsa Billgren is without a doubt my favorite (dare I say fashion-) blogger of the moment. Named “the vintage princess” of her hometown Stockholm, Elsa is all about personal style and embracing life.

On her blog for Swedish Elle, Elsa creates a dream-like world where her friends and husband play the leading roles. Her beautiful photography is highly stylized, yet very personal and has a very nostalgic quality to them. Food and friends are two of the most important subjects but you can also find Elsa posing in one of her more than 100 vintage dresses, mostly from the 50’s and 60’s.

All images reblogged from www.elle.se/elsa-billgren

Elsa’s tone of voice is optimistic, happy and caring, something that I have been missing among young bloggers for a while. She is colorful and energetic, and has a positive energy. Gone are the gloomy days of grunk and the macabre… Elsa welcomes the days of appreciating the good and simple things in life such as food and loving relationships.

We Love…hermit life

Living in isolation, far away from people is a topic that is continually fantasized about in popular media. Here at WGSN we’ve been talking about how this feeds into the big picture of a primal mood permeating our culture. Whether it’s a new craze for taking a vacation in a remote and nearly inaccessible location, or aspiring to live a modest 19^th century lifestyle in a cabin (as read about in this month’s Sunset magazine), it seems as if the idealized simple life, centered around home, nature and solitude are becoming realized modern day priorities.

After news broke that Idaho hermit, Dugout Dick died earlier this year, I picked up the book “Idaho Loners” by Cort Conley to read more about the lives of eccentric individuals who rejected modern life in the 20^th Century in favor of a radical, solitary lifestyle. So far, it’s a fascinating read.

Retro curls and waves

ltr: www.elle.se/elsa-billgren; www.hannahandlandon.blogspot.com; Underbaraclara for www.folkbladet.nu

Lately, I have been fascinated by the savoir-faire of retro hairstyles. Just like the ever increasing interest in traditional hand-crafts such as knitting, embroidery and pottery, beauty is following closely with looks reminiscent of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

ltr: www.elle.se/elsa-billgren; www.elle.se/elsa-billgren

It is all about perfecting a certain time-specific look. Vintage how-to manuals and grand mother’s rollers are now lying around the bathrooms of youngsters who not so long ago were all about the roll-out-of-bed looks and the DIY undercuts; grunk style. I am pleased to see these softer, very feminine looks appear more frequently and I am looking forward to fall to see if hats will be the finishing touch for these young ladies.

Tropical Tourists

The kitschy Hawaiian souvenir shirt has now officially re-emerged as a welcome trend, and one that I’ve been noticing influencing designers as well as the trend savvy. It captures a sense of nostalgia and that longing for a tropical getaway. This summer, being in “island mode” also means looking the tourist part.

For more on this trend, check out my boardshort graphics report on http://www.wgsn.com

Brian Lichtenberg for Forever 21

I was so excited to hear about LA-based fashion designer Brian Lichtenberg's collaboration with Forever 21. Most famous for designing Lady Gaga's caution tape ensemble in her "Telephone" video, Lichtenberg will create a collection of graphic tees and tanks, launching on August 13th.

As one of the most popular, profitable and ever-expanding international retailers of today, Forever 21 could have easily picked a more flashy, well-known designer to collaborate with, so I'm impressed they stuck to their LA roots and chose to work with a more avant-garde, indie artist like Lichtenberg. Let's hope they continue to help put LA designers in the global spotlight.

Check back to find out more after the launch event this Thursday.

Geof Kern at Fahey/Klein Gallery

Most famous for his quirky advertisements in Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale's catalogues, along with photo spreads in Vanity Fair, New York Times, Harper’s Bazaar, Esquire and GQ, photographer Geof Kern presents his first LA exhibition at the Fahey/Klein Gallery, on view now until September 9th. Adding touches of whimsy to sets of commonplace, suburban life, Kern's work is imaginative and cinematic. I definitely recommend this exhibition as a great source of inspiration for visual merchandising.

The Fahey/Klein Gallery
148 N. La Brea, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Tel: + 1 323 934 2250
Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00am - 6:00pm

Siren Festival street style

A couple of weekends ago, I took our two interns, Matt and Mercedes to Coney Island for the 10th annual Siren Festival. Among the hundreds of beach-goers and families there to visit the newly re-built amusement park was a young, sun-kissed crowd eager to see Matt and Kim, Ponytail, The Pains of Being Young at Heart, Holy Fuck and other bands.

Aside from nautical stripes and petite florals, we were glad to see polka dots on the rise, especially these really large dots with their almost clown-like feel. We also loved the way some girls were rocking them in a minimal, contemporary way, while others were bringing back the 80s in the silhouettes and the 60s with accessories such as cat's eye sunglasses and head wraps.

A full street style report on the festival will be available shortly on WGSN.

Esteban Cortazar kicks off Colombiamoda

I remember seeing womenswear designer Esteban Cortazar on one of Oprah Winfrey's "World's Most Talented Kids" episodes several years ago. Showing off his signature eveningwear pieces, Cortazar wowed Oprah with his knack for flattering a women's body. Last Monday night, the now 26-year-old designer presented his much-anticipated collaboration with mass market Colombian retailer exito (think Target x Zac Posen) as the kick off for Colombiamoda.

The collection has an edgy downtown vibe. Leather skater skirts are paired with faded white tissue tanks and relaxed athletic separates are effortlessly on trend. I got the feeling Cortazar was shying away from his past with Ungaro by showing a harder, urban collection of separates. And though the presentation has definite commercial appeal, when the show ended, I was left longing for the womenly gowns and cocktail dresses that Cortazar has always done so beautifully.