Downtown From Behind

General | 30 April 2012

Have you ever visited a city and wished you had more time to stay and get to know the locals? Well, now you can in New York City! Sort of.

Downtown From Behind is a photographic series that aims to document subjects riding their bikes, on streets, avenues, and lanes below 14th street and captures them visually as they depart from view. Both established and emerging individuals are chosen, leaving a sense of their daily contributions to a bustling city scene!

Lower East Side

East Village

Noho Bowery

Soho Nolita

Tribeca

(Photos courtesy of DowntownFromBehind.com)

I'll Be Your Mirror: Legendary Street Style Photographer Bill Cunningham

Fashion | 26 April 2012

by Tegan Silva

Before there was The Sartorialist or Tommy Ton, there was Bill Cunningham. Cunningham is a legendary street style photographer that is still going strong at the New York Times and even Anna Wintour hopes to be snapped by him!

Cunningham’s career started in the 1970s when he started taking photographs of fashion on the streets of New York. As a result of a chance photograph of Greta Garbo, he published a group of his impromptu pictures in the New York Times in December 1978, which soon became a regular series.

Cunningham scours the streets on his bike everyday looking for rare birds of fashion and has become a respected icon. If Cunningham snaps a photo of you, it’s a huge honor, because you’ve just become part of a visual history.

“We’re in the age of the cookie-cutter sameness. There are few that are rarities, someone who doesn’t look like 10 million others.”—Bill Cunningham.

Before Bill Cunningham was snapping photos of street fashion heros, he was making fabulous hats under the label William J. The hats are amazing and definitely pieces of fashion history.

Want to learn more about Bill Cunningham? Check out his weekly snapshots here, and if you haven’t checked out the documentary Bill Cunningham New York, do yourself a big favor and go see it!

(Photos courtesy of Styleite.com, FredBareBlog.blogspot.com, and LATimes.com)

A Chloë Moment! '90s Chloe

Celebrity | 25 April 2012

by Sienna

If you’ve missed our little segments on Chloë Sevigny, then let us all hold hands and worship this ultimate ’90s It Girl for what she is really known for: her grungy ’90s style. From floral rompers, baby tees (I’ve got my fingers crossed that baby tees are coming back) and sexy zebra prints and hot pants, Chloë has always rivaled the edginess of her onscreen roles by the edginess of her look.

(images courtesy of chloesevigny.org)

Tell us about your favorite ’90s looks in the comments below!

Supermodel Crystal Renn Goes Blonde!

Celebrity | 23 April 2012

by Tegan Silva

Crystal Renn has definitely achieved supermodel status and has easily become one of the most recognizeable faces in fashion. She also happens to be one of my favorite models, because she owns her look no matter what.

So, when this traditionally dark haired vixen recently bleached her locks, it was a shock. She looks very different, but her drastic change seems to be serving her well in this month’s issue of Schön magazine! Look at her work it!

While I love this change, I’m still very much in love with her dark locks. Here’s a just a sample of her photos during her pre-blonde years:

Are you digging Crystal Renn’s new ‘do?

To compare, check out her body of work here!

(Photos courtesy of Models.com, StyleFrizz.com, Styleite.com and FashionGoneRogue.com)

The House That Dior Built: Christian Dior Through the Years

Fashion | 19 April 2012

by Tegan Silva

Christian Dior has gone through many changes and a total of five designers and it’s just been announced that Raf Simons will be the new heir to the fashion house. Raf Simons hails from Jil Sander and has many people wondering if his minimalist style will echo Dior’s early years of fashion or will he continue with John Galliano’s dramatic (and sometimes over the top) looks.

For now, all we can do is speculate and dream. To help stir our imaginations, let’s take a look at a visual history of Dior through the years!

Christian Dior (1946-1957)

In 1947, the label’s founder created what was known as the “New Look” when he presented a feminine collection of flowing skirts, tiny waists, and soft shoulders—a very different look compared to the slinky silhouette of the 1930s. The style is so timeless, even Natalie Portman was photographed wearing a Dior red polka dot gown circa 1954 to this year’s Academy Awards.

Yves Saint Laurent (1957-1960)

Before founding his own fashion label, Yves Saint Laurent found himself at age 21 as Dior’s successor and debuted his first collection in the spring of 1958. His most famous creation is his trapeze dress was a big leap from the previous cinched in looks and a perfect segue into the 1960s.

Marc Bohan (1961-1988)

Bohan had a much more conservative aesthetic than Dior or Laurent, but remained in demand among celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor and Princess Grace of Monaco. Through his long run, Bohan was certainly able to adapt to the many trends through the years.

Gianfranco Ferré (1989-1996)

Ferré, who hails from Italy, was Dior’s first non-French designer and brings a strong Renaissance influence to the label with baroque fabrics and pronounced shapes.

John Galliano (1996-2011)

Dior’s last successor, John Galliano, amped up the drama for Dior and became known for his flamboyant haute couture shows that achieved a fine balance of beautiful and whimsical.

What does Raf Simons have in store for Dior? We can only guess, but I’m sure it will do the great fashion house proud!

To learn more about Raf Simons, check out this link or check out his final collection at Jil Sander!

(Photos courtesy of SpencerAlley.blogspot.com and TheFashionSpot.com)