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