Archive for June, 2008

Hosted by Bravo’s “Project Runway 4” winner Christian Siriano last Thursday, Basil Hayden launched the finale to their series of Seattle events introducing local tastemakers to their new bourbon while raising money for the Gay City Health Project.

The party was sponsored by Out Magazine and took place at Ibiza in Seattle.

 Above (from left):  Rickey & Jess (my fab plus-ones), Christian, Steve (Basil Hayden “Whiskey Professor”), Me and Colleen (Basil Hayden PR)

After sipping on couple BH Tropic cocktails while watching obsessed fans bid on Christian’s specially designed vest to be auctioned for the Gay City Health Project (photo above), I  had the chance to sit down with Christian and ask him a few questions.

Here’s a little recap of our convo: 

What has he been doing since Project Runway?

Working on his SS09 collection of course, which will debut at NY Fashion Week this September. According to Christian, the feminine and futuristic line was inspired by a painting and includes lots of greys paired with bright yellow accents.

This collection will be mostly high end, but he’s considering creating a contemporary line for next season.

Here are some fierce candids from his last collection (as seen in Elle):

On his charity:

Christian support the Art of Elysium, an organization that encourages working actors, artists and musicians to volunteer their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions.

For fun, I brought Jess and Rickey into the conversation where we asked a few light-hearted questions. We learned:

• He defines ”tranny” as anything fierce or fabulous. 
• If he had to tote around an Olsen like a chihuahua, he’d pick MKO. He sang karaoke into her Chloe boot right after winning Project Runway.
• His first splurge was on a Burberry bag.
• If his ass was branded with a tattoo, it’d read “fierceness.”
• He’d give up just about anything before he’d give up a blow dryer.

Last, we showed Christian the following images for him to decide “Fierce or Fugly”:

Agyness Dein - Fierce! He LOVES her and wants her to walk in his Sept. runway show. 

 Fringe - Fierce! Reminds him of Noxema Jackson from To Wong Foo.

Anna Wintour - Fierce! “Tranny fabulous.”

Latex - Fierce! Reminds him of Lady Gaga.

Miss Piggy – Fierce!

Us! - Tranny fierceness! We had him sign the pic.

**Special thanks to the lovely ladies of Basil Hayden PR for inviting me to a wonderful evening.

For what it’s worth, I’m usually pretty anti-shorts…especially denim. This isn’t because I dislike them in general, I’ve just always hated them on me.

Michelle Siwy seems to have brainwashed me again with her Siwy Camilla cut-off shorts. They first came out a couple of years ago, but boutiques can hardly keep them in stock.

Recent celeb sitings include Kate Moss, Nicole Richie, Sienna Miller and Ashley Olsen.

I ordered a pair from Manhattanite (my Siwy e-tailer of choice) and just got them in the mail yesterday. Now I know why they sell out so fast. The look, fit and feel encompass everything I could ever ask for in a denim cutoff…and did I mention the COMFORT?

Wearing:

• sweatshirt and tee: AA
• cutoffs: Siwy
• fringe sandals: Urban 

** Special thanks to Shopaphilia and Manhattanite (I won a $75 gift certificate in a giveway which I used toward my new shorts).

Photo credits: Manhattanite, Singer22, tFS

Today was a gorgeous day in Seattle and comfort was top of mind when getting dressed this morning. I wasn’t feeling jeans, so I decided to awaken my plaid shorts from the hybernation they’d been in since last September. 

I think my boyfriend probably has his own variation of this same outfit, minus the fringe sandals…which he reminded twice today of his disapproval.

• sweatshirt and tee: AA
• shorts: Oneil (got them on sale at a bikini shop last summer)
• fringe sandals: Urban

For those who haven’t checked them out, this AA sweatshirt is amazing (thx Rumi/Fashion Toast for introduing me)…buy them! 

Lately there’s been a ton of chatter around steampunk…specifically how to define it. Is it a hobby, fashion, culture or all of the above?  Now thanks to a recent New York Times article, trendspotters are one step closer to a unified translation. Excerpt below:

“…a subculture that is the aesthetic expression of a time-traveling fantasy world, one that embraces music, film, design and now fashion, all inspired by the extravagantly inventive age of dirigibles and steam locomotives, brass diving bells and jar-shaped protosubmarines…”

The article also quotes Steampunk Workshop’s Jake von Slatt who defines steampunk as “the intersection of technology and romance.” Here’s a collage of photos to help visualize what he might mean by “technology and romance.”

What do you guys think of steampunk? I’m anxious to see designers’ interpretations on the runways this fall!

Sources: tFS, NYT, Coachella

Wow. I was browsing Forever 21′s website today and noticed a very familiar design…

I can’t decide if it’s a knock-off of the popular dress from Miu Miu’s SS08 collection or of Topshop’s Riviera skirt/Miu Miu SS08 knock-off. Asos also just came out with their own version of the Miu Miu look, which Fashionista posted on a few days ago.

When compared side by side with the original, what do you think of the replicas? Those who saw my post last month will know I’m obviously a little biased to Topshop’s version.

Photo credits: Forever21, Conde Nast, Topshop, Asos