Sunday, August 29, 2010

Fall fashion forward--->What to wear to the Apocalypse

http://www.ayyawear.com

In Seattle, the weather snaps at the end of August, declaring summer unofficially but indubitably over. The evening chill demands a hoodie, and nights are frosty enough that we start closing the windows again. In my opinion, the only worthy compromise for saying goodbye to the most perfect weather on earth is fall fashion.

I have always found myself salivating like a hungry dog while anticipating the appearance of the September issue of Vogue magazine. Elle seems to get it out faster, and I have often suspected that Vogue intentionally makes us get hungry before releasing that fat, juicy volume of what people are wearing this season. Meanwhile, designers are already onto the next new thing, secretly scheming while consumers devour the current fashion trends. I know this, because I am one of those fashion visionaries--I saw the tattered, stained denim, victorian trash jewelry, distressed leather, buckled boots and military jackets a long time ago and have been creating in that genre for well over a year. It's frustrating being a visionary who produces on such a small, local and boutique scale, because I often see what appear to be knock-offs of my visions mass-produced by companies like Free People and played out before I could even hope to reach beyond my small circle of fans.

But Gypsy Palace is all about inventing and re-inventing again and again. It's about resurrecting and destroying, over and over. My personal design philosophy includes a sort of "sourdough" theme, using a bit of old culture to start a new batch. I often use pieces out of the waste bin to create new fabrics and have at times cut up things I made long ago to make new pieces. I have no attachments to my materials any more. It's all got to go, for one day, this will all be gone...and I'd like to think I at least made good creative use of otherwise useless crap while helping people dress well for the apocalypse.

And speaking of the apocalypse, here's another great article from SF Gate columnist Mark Morford.
"You do not wear shorts to the Apocalypse. You do not wear flipflops or capri pants or a kicky little pink halter from Betsy Johnson. You certainly don't wear skinny jeans or a nice pea coat and some Mary Janes. There are no Ugg boots at Judgment Day. Tasseled loafers? Please. Sweatpants are sort of tacky, but hoodies are widely accepted if you really must go the bleak oatmeal route. Then again, this is the apocalypse, sweetheart. Isn't it about time you got serious?"   (read more HERE)
  And here are a couple of websites with apocalypse-worthy clothing and accessories:

ad2013.com

 









 http://www.ayyawear.com/

 


























 And in case your vision of the apocalypse is more cheerful than average, I wanted to share these incredibly gorgeous Elven ear embellishments from Liquid Fire Mantra jewelry.

After all, while we may very well see the dissolution of  parts of our civilization that have defined our culture for many years, those of us with a strong vision of peace, joy and vibrance for the future are part of creating a whole new paradigm. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that we may in the near future see people wearing things like this. Hey, why not be the first of your friends to get married wearing Mother of Pearl elf ears!




And finally, a note on what's up for Gypsy Palace this fall. MASSIVE website redesign, upgrade of Etsy shop, a fashion show for sure, AND.... a consistent line of ready-to-wear jewelry available for purchase in select boutiques or online. So far Gypsy Palace has only offered unique couture pieces of jewelry but we are currently working on some designs for a larger-scale production. Also in the works is a collaboration of designers doing a trunk show sometime this fall, so stay tuned.

Time to put an extra blanket on the bed and snuggle in for a movie. Happy apocalyptic shopping!

Madame7

Monday, June 28, 2010

Wild Graffiti: Berlin artists create street art out of used fur coats.

Female street-art crew Neozoon makes striking works using second-hand fur coats. Their artworks are so popular that they usually disappear within a week of installation. In this video, the pair don masks and install a family of bears at the Jannowitzbrücke junction in the heart of Berlin. The artists also invite us to their studio, where they carefully prepare the fur silhouettes, and show us round a local bear pit, where the symbols of Berlin live a more pitiful existence.



Gypsy Palace hearts this idea, naturally.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Gypsy Palace Couture slideshow of new work

I just created this slideshow for my application to the Artist Trust's Grants for Artists award. I stayed up all night making it, only to find the next day that they mistakenly included video as a medium that people in the Crafts category could use to show their work. So I had to start over and submit still photos, which sucked, but HEY at least I got this lovely little video out of the deal. Even if I don't win the award, which I asked for to help me promote my jewelry and clothing design, I have more promotional material now.



Some of the images in the slideshow are from the "Alice's Dark Mirror" photo shoot project I just did with Karina Elizabeth (Lux Vivens Photography), Molly Friedrich (amazing Steampunk designer), Nikki Reign (makeup artist), Miguel Vigil (hair), and models Kaida Hitomi, Heather Rouge, Andrew Forrayi, Sam Freeman and Chryseph Fawcett. I will have a complete slideshow of that photo shoot on the website really soon--i documented the entire process and will be interviewing everyone who worked on the shoot. Final images from the shoot are still being processed but those will be available on the website and also on the Gypsy Palace Facebook page (which is about to get created. Please become a fan!)

What's new in the studio? Wire wrapping! I am just getting my feet wet in this medium but already I can see that I will love it. I am incorporating semi-precious stones with metals, found objects, industrial hardware and vintage jewelry components. I could solder these things together, but it often makes more sense to attach things together by wrapping and weaving, which wire does beautifully. I will post my new pieces here as I create them, but also check out the portfolio page frequently as I am posting new work there and offering it for sale at my Etsy Shop

Look for a major overhaul to this blog and the Gypsy Palace website in the very near future. Thanks for your support!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Singer-Songwriter Amelie Julac singing in the streets of Bolivia

video by Ryan Maxey (www.ryanisyourfriend.com)



More about Amelie Julac, alter-ego of actor Julia McAlee HERE

Thursday, May 20, 2010

wonderful artist documentaries

The Radar documentary series is produced by the folks at the Workbook project, "The WorkBook Project is for those who want to be creative in the digital age. An open creative network that provides insight into the process of funding, creating, distributing and sustaining from one's creative efforts." These mini artist documentaries showcase brilliant people doing what makes them happy and sharing it with others. Gypsy Palace is now researching funding for a similar project that features Seattle underground artists. We would love to hear from you if you have experience, ideas, resources, advice or comments on this project. For now, enjoy these films. They will stream one right after the other unless you stop the player, and each one is about 3-4 minutes long.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Gypsy Palace Couture spring collection!


Gypsy Palace is showing a new spring collection of couture jewelry in Kirkland at The Art Shop, 122 Central Way. Hours are 11am to 7pm, and the Art Shop is only open between April 30th and May 10th. You may view the pieces available for sale HERE and contact the designer, Jodi Meadows, with any inquiries.