WANTED: ‘Rustic Organza Trousers’ By Juan Carlos Pajares

To see these bottoms just hanging there, you can’t help but relate them to sculpture. But when worn, they take on a sense of magic + majesty after you see what’s really going on underneath.

Upon the wearer slipping into these ‘Rustic Organza Trousers’ by Juan Carlos Pajares, you get to see the different geometric shapes that give these organza culottes presence. But it’s the layers of primary colored silk organza, enshrouded by white, its base color, that gives its silhouette that eye-catching appeal. Underneath the white wide leg trousers or culottes, you have organza blue shorts with pockets decorated by a red circle on top of yellow squares, easily making them pop.

Part of a collection inspired by Bauhaus, Pop-Art and the Memphis group + influenced by three cities (Madrid, London + Paris) + two schools (ESDMadrid + Central Saint Martins), is what led to this amazing experimental pair of trousers sure to be coveted by its owner for decades to come. On the collection, Pajares told NOT JUST A LABEL, “Moholy-Nagy, Rietveld, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Lichtenstein, Sottsass + De Lucchi works dialogue + manifest themselves through shapes, layered constructions, embroidery + prints,” which is plain to see in these trousers, with each shape made to float above the other, without really being attached (Look closer + see what I mean.).

And let’s not dismiss the styling effort here; The pairing of a loosely cropped red cami, with large rivet detail, over an untucked short-sleeved white button-down shirt is perfect. Pure genius, wouldn’t you agree? Now had the designer agreed on using another fabric, I don’t think the execution would’ve been as successful in creating such flow of movement.

So if you too want to own a piece of art + or gain new fans, through sheer adulation, head over to NOT JUST A LABEL, for your very own ‘Rustic Organza Trousers’ by Juan Carlos Pajares.

Meditating On Being Female Never Looked So Fun + Powerful Like This

Famous essayist Anaïs Nin once said, “I take pleasure in my transformations. I look quiet + consistent, but few know how many women there are in me,” + yet, believe it or not, with the oversaturation of social media feeding everyone’s ego, therefore putting most of our many selves, if so lucky, on display, you have to wonder if we’re always putting our best selves forward for the world to see after all? But in ‘HER: Meditations On Being Female’ by Marjorie Salvattera copyright ©2016, published by Glitterati Incorporated, you get swept away on this personal journey of one woman’s quest of self-exploration. Now, such exploration knows no gender, since most humans are constantly evolving with every new person met or any new thing learned, to cause a transformation of said person, yet for this book, the reader is forced to assume the guise of a woman, in this case, that of Salvaterra.

‘The Weight of Water’

‘Up’

Through Marjorie’s lens, the viewer’s taken by their imaginary hand, to view various models in an array of scenarios, wearing simple yet subversively provocative costumes mostly comprised of huge afro wigs + different dresses. Some might even interpret the different looks shown throughout as uniforms a woman must don during her every day to assume the roles of mother, lover, martyr, survivor, temptress et al, simply to get by her pitfalls + triumphs.

‘Bloom Where You’re Planted’

The women created here by Marjorie are full of strength, weakness, anger, humility + irony, yet beyond reproach, until you too have walked in the shoes of being a woman, which Salvaterra tries to reenact for the viewer. Most of the pics usually show a group of women performing the same movement, as if to be the extension of one woman creating an action with punctuated emotion that usually comes from the power of repetition. Sometimes, one model might be doing one action, while other model or models might be doing the opposite as if to give the picture motion through that original model’s actions, as in pic ‘Up’ above.

‘Sheila Goes To Market’

‘Old Venice Wash’

What’s also special about Marjorie’s pictures is how she also touches upon incredibly vital stages in every woman’s life, including aging, which is still very much stigmatized. Take the picture above entitled ‘Old Venice Wash’, showing an older model all done-up inside a Laundromat. It’s almost as if the ‘Laundromat’ signifies her life being full of routine that just keeps on moving, and yet, although she’s aging, she still looks fabulous no matter how mundane her life might appear.

‘Him’

Additionally, Marjorie has an incredible sense of humor. In ‘Him’, she shows a woman laying her head down at dinner with a man who’s been caught in mid-sentence. What I love about this pic is how it symbolizes how the model doesn’t care if he’s there or not, as women no longer need men to feel validated.

‘Her In Bloom’

Either way, this book is sure to bring a smile to anyone who has the pleasure of flipping through its pages, to witness for themselves how one woman’s meditation on being female is not a solitary journey by any means, but rather, one to be embraced by all. ‘HER: Meditations On Being Female’ by Marjorie Salvattera copyright ©2016, published by Glitterati Incorporated, is available for purchase at glitteratiincorporated.com.

Hood By Air’s Menswear Continues To Break Rules For Spring

Every season, Hood By Air’s Shane Oliver’s menswear collections provoke by making the ‘what ifs’ real with his relentless knack of foresight on what a person, regardless of gender, should be wearing. One thing that is a mainstay with Hood By Air (HBA) is logo placement, which Oliver admitted to VOGUE RUNWAY post-show, “We revisit things that people know about HBA here, like logo placement. Because it’s recognizable in the dark.” Then again, they always push newer ideas forward in the light, either in shapes or in words put together to form ideas that can be construed as stand-alone ideas if not, labels full of irony like the logo of ‘New World Loser’ seen below.

Of course, in the need for visibility in the ‘dark’, Oliver mentioned to VOGUE RUNWAY the apprehension to label his garments as menswear or womenswear, let alone present collections with those market restrictions resulting in boycotting the runway Paris “shows” in favor of atmospheric locales + unconventional formats. “We just want to celebrate Hood By Air in the men’s market,” said Oliver. “When people are reviewing it against something that is very tailored, it feels weird . . . we’re not competing with them.”

As usual, Hood By Air played with ideas that some might consider as totally unorthodox if not taboo including using an arm sling as an extension of a sleeve, if not, glorify the uniform as one would a pantsuit, which in + of itself can be considered a uniform by all accounts.

(via VOGUE RUNWAY)

WANTED: ‘Corset Tie Off The Shoulder Top’ By Pixie Market

What’s not to love about this ‘Corset Tie Off The Shoulder Top’ by Pixie Market? Besides the stripe detailing which compliments this light blue so well, you have the exaggerated cuffs with tie detail + of course, the corset in the front! What’s even better about this top, as with anything with a corset is how it would accentuate your curves, but in case you don’t have any curves, this shirt will give life to curves that are not really there thanks to the faux peplum effect created.

Now, just because it’s a corseted top, doesn’t necessarily mean you must tie it either. It could easily be worn untied for a more relaxed look, almost avant-garde, with this ‘loose’ approach. I also adore the play of flirtation here, with the shoulders, collarbone, neck + upper back so exposed.

To start turning heads with this ‘Corset Tie Off The Shoulder Top’, head over to PIXIE MARKET.

Off-White’s Spring Swagger For Men

As cause and yvette continues to explore more of men’s fashion, there’s no denying how Virgil Abloh’s Off-White label is a true favorite. For Spring, Off-White’s surprising details continued to bring a smile to my face, including bleaching the bottom of a pair of jeans, giving one the impression of a very wide cuff, at a glance.

For Spring, the relaxed looks had an emphasis on text + symbols as decoration. The more casual looks included a black leather bomber jacket (below) with various patches on its front + sleeves, paired with black + white pinstriped long shorts, pulled-up white sneaker socks with black text + black laced skateboarding kicks. Of course, the pant silhouette varied throughout the collection, with a choice between joggers, embellished with a sequined scorpion, an image that dominated a lot of the pieces, to long trousers + cropped light jeans with a frayed hem.

Imagery served as another form of decoration, from a knit green skeleton on a black sweater to photo-realistic digital prints either slipped into a top, including a sheer white tee (below, right), to being attached to the bottom of a black hoodie, peeking from underneath a knee-length coat (below, left). Yet, as casual as these looks might appear to most individuals, a lot of them still carry a lot of that Off-White swagger that any man with style could easily pull off.

(photos: Kim Weston Arnold | Indigital.tv)

(via VOGUE RUNWAY)

WANTED: Ella Bomber Jacket-African Circle By Sabina Söderberg

If you haven’t met a huge pattern whore, then let me introduce myself! When it comes to patterns, I’ve always loved them. No matter whether it’s because of their colorways or different shapes, they always lend interest to any look, + this ‘Ella Bomber Jacket-African Circle’ by Sabina Söderberg is no exception. With a color palette of black, white, yellow, blue, mint, hot + light pink + gray, + various geometric shapes, this jacket is a brilliant example.

With its raglan sleeves, an open ended metal zip in the front + two big pockets on the chest, this jacket could easily go from day to night + vice versa due to its super interesting pattern + bright colors. Its collar, cuffs + waistband are black, which allow for the jacket’s colors to pop that much more.

Handmade in London + part of a collection with African influences, particularly the culture + appearance of a tribe called ‘The Wodaabe People’, is seasonless. Now for Summer, one could wear this jacket with striped pants, a cami + platform sandals, if not, tied around a slip dress, paired with Nike Cortez kicks + red lips. During colder months, I would wear this jacket as a liner peeking through a loudly patterned coat, paired with a rust or purple suede skirt + black turtleneck, or with a bright blue midi dress, adding silver leather opera length gloves worn over the jacket sleeves + funky shoes.

So if you want to add such interest to your already fabulous wardrobe, the Ella Bomber Jacket-African Circle’ by Sabina Söderberg is available at NOT JUST A LABEL.

10 Perfect White Pieces To Flirt With

Nothing calls out Summer the way that the color white does. There’s this confidence attached to such a color because let’s face it, the list of things you can’t do while wearing white is long, unless you’re a clever ninja. Besides its longstanding reference of innocence + purity in Western cultures, but, that of death in other parts of the world, including China + Korea, white is still a favorite of mine to sport when the sun is just as bright. So here a few key white pieces perfect for any Summer wardrobe.

1-Shimmer like pearls twinkling by moonlit water with this ‘Maxi Sequin Dress‘ by & OTHER STORIES, & Other Stories 2-Stand out with these ‘Folded Sail Cropped Trousers‘ by DION LEE, farfetch 3-Cleverly show of your shoulders but this time let your hands peek through with this ‘Signature Off The Shoulder Top‘ by SINCERELY TOMMY, Sincerely Tommy 4-‘The Line 1 Lofters | White‘ by NUDITE have so much going for them, with its white minimalism, from top to bottom, NOT JUST A LABEL 5-These ‘Crossover Leather Wedges‘ by ZARA, with gold detailing across the top is sure to turn any look into an eye catcher for sure, ZARA

6-Down bottomless mimosas wearing this ‘PROSECCO Pearl Effect High Heel Mule‘ with its charming bow detail, TOPSHOP 7-This ‘ASYM Shift Tie Dress‘ by HAN is a perfect addition to any wardrobe, as it can be worn over any top or by itself, creating various looks,HAN 8-Nothing like this adorable ‘Hugo Jumpsuit‘ by RACHEL ANTONOFF to soak in some sun, SHOPBOP 9-Highlight your neck with white circles when wearing this ‘Flat Disk Cowbone Beads‘, ANN MASHBURN 10-If you choose to wear a cami this season, then this ‘Knot Front Cami‘ is a must-a true standout in its simplicity, TOPSHOP

Take A Trip To the Last American Roadside Stops Before They’re Gone

American rest stops, if never visited, are places of an evolving America where the sign of big cities + nature converged as a place to take pause at modern civilization’s growth spurt. Fortunately for us, photographer Ryann Ford takes us on a fascinating cross country trip, documenting the charm + beauty of remaining rest stops in ‘The Last Stop’, published by powerHouse Books. Page by page, your eyes become transfixed on the different rest stops surrounded by negative space, laying on top of would be grass, dirt, sand, rocks or concrete, giving you a moment to meditate on what might it be like to rest there after a long trip with the all-knowing best friend, the annoying relative who never shuts up or just relishing in the fact you can finally rest, if for just five minutes, before hitting that road once again.

Joanna M. Dowling, the cultural historian, writer + creative director who pioneered rest area history cites the roadside as having been a place of connection, a place of pause, where the experience of the landscape become more important than moving beyond it + after seeing the collection Ford has amassed throughout this book, you’ll see why. Sure you have your typical idea of one as a simple picnic table for six with long benches sprinkled here + there, but then there are others who’s architecture alone is a marvel in itself, considering it’s location + function, like the one below in Bonneville, UT, with its futuristic lines.

“Many of these stops were created by motorists, stopping spontaneously by side of road, exiting car + commune with natural landscape,” said Joanna, which is very clear in the rest stop below found in Abliqui, NM. This rest stop definitely looks like it’s been placed on a deserted island, as a peaceful retreat.

Now you have to understand that Ford’s impetus for such documentation grew from the lack of resources found on the subject, not to mention testing his many friends’ loyalties in trying to “find a friend willing to take a week off of work to drive around looking for rest stops” as her mom was worried about her going alone. But by sheer curiosity + ambition, she began by using a paper map, looking for picnic table icons + navigating to that spot. And of course, after driving hours + hundreds of miles to such icon, just to be disappointed after finding nothing there thanks to possible demolition, she thought. Eventually, Ford said, “After a few of those, we wised up + used Google Earth to scout locations from above,” which eventually led to the wonders found throughout this book.

If you’re a fan of Americana, then this book which documents the vanishing roadside rest areas of America’s highways, is sure not to be missed. Ford manages to capture their every detail with sheer poetic license, devoid of any artifice, making each place seem better than what it is, capturing its true essence of why they’re still left standing amidst the vastness of modern creature comforts, full of technological conveniences rather than relying on pure human need + functional simplicity.

‘The Last Stop’, published by powerHouse Books, will reinforce the wonder of spending time on the road + the magic that comes along with it in discovering such forgotten memories of simpler times in America. Ford’s hope is “that this book cultivates an interest in the often-overlooked beauty + significance of rest stops in the American travel experience + maybe even encourages preservation of those that remain”. ‘The Last Stop’, published by powerHouse Books, is available for purchase at Amazon.

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