chromkat

kat graham at the samsung infuse launch event in los angeles wearing the chromat a/w 11 vaulter cage bustier!

my hero, mcqueen

i went to the new alexander mcqueen retrospective at the metropolitan museum of art on the second day it was open. twice.

bright and early on a thursday morning, i arrived with a friend and walked through the exhibit with a thick and steady stream of other visitors, taking it all in, letting the beautiful garments wash over us. that afternoon, i went back alone for more. i planted myself in each section with pencil and paper to absorb some of the constructions that i hoped to learn more about. and i'm going back again on friday.

i may as well start penciling in a visit once a week. it feels like what i imagine being in a church feels to evangelical christians or being in a mosque feels like to devout muslims. its like being in the presence of something bigger than myself, something otherworldly that i aspire to know. experiencing mcqueens work in person made me feel like a mere mortal in the presence of godliness. its overwhelming how much strange and interesting work he accomplished in his lifetime.

one thing i really loved about the exhibit was the unique spaces that the curators created for each different collection. they grouped collections together with visceral thematic environments like sound effects, videos and mirrors in unexpected places. the howling of wolves and the eery whistling of wind accompanied the dark leather pieces; a flowing cape actually fluttered in a breeze that emerged from between the seams in the floor.

i really loved studying the seams of the tailored jackets, the formed leather bodice pieces and the structured hips of the final fully realized collection, platos atlantis. it was amazing to see how mcqueen expertly controlled the materials to produce different volumes on the body.

gush gush gush, i love mcqueen, gush gush gush, he's my hero, gush gush gush, why did he end it all so soon???

CANDYLAND!!!!

candyland, the sweet sexy summertime zine about i've been working on with jenna wortham (friend and writer for the new york times) is about to be born! we're throwing down this saturday at lady jays, a cool little brooklyn bar with a backyard and a jukebox (633 grand st at leonard). come celebrate the release with us and kick off the discosummer with candy, balloons, confetti and lollipops!