The Kids Are Alright

Why do kids in Stockholm dress better and more effortlessly then anyone else in the world? (besides the Parisians of course). I'm glad someone else likes to wear those lace up wedges. I've yet to see anyone else in SF donning them (seriously, people look at my lace-ups like I'm a crazy person!).

She is like a walking, talking Aisler Set song. Her name should be the Swedish equivalent of Jaime or Alicia. She probably hums "Friends of the Heroes" when she walks away slowly, as if in a dream. I can only wish I could be this eloquent.

image of Emma Arvida from the Satorialist

Artisanal

It seems that even designers are becoming resourceful as the economy takes a nose dive.

Margiela proves that he can still craft garbage into gold, using recycled materials of course. The Belgian designer turned plastic straws into a tiger that graces the back of a nude colored leather top, hundreds of shoelaces were made into a saucy fringe dress and an adorable snow white blazer was sculpted from paper towels. His Artisanal pieces are all so well crafted, they look runway and museum ready.

Here are the looks from MM's Artisanal Spring 2009. Quite remarkable.

images from WWD

Nicolle Meyer

Rare video with former model/drummer Nicolle Meyer from Fred Banana Combo. I think this is the only track she released under her own name. The accordion is a really nice touch!

Here is the song via zshare, enjoy!

Nowhere Bei Mir

Style Iconoclast: Linder Stering

Visual/Performance artist and musician, Linder Sterling (born Linda Mulvey) is not only a brilliant artist, but she is also a stunningly beautiful, creative, unique and progressive dresser. As an artist, she doesn't conform to trends expected of women during the late 70s/early 80s. She dresses for comfort and herself. She understands the female form, her form, and dresses on her own terms and rules.

As one of the most important figures in the Manchester post-punk scene, Sterling's montages of home appliances and porno mag clippings turned first wave punk rockers (still a very masculine, very sexist world at the time) on its ass, making bold statements of how women and their form become commodities (she is especially famous for the Buzzcock's 7" cover of Orgasm Addict shown below).
She showed hard-as-nails Manchester punks that she was tougher and lewder and more shocking than anyone in the scene. She donned a dress made of raw meats while her band Ludus performed at the Hacienda (in protest for vegetarianism) and placed tampons soaked with red paint on every table of a rough club where she would get shit for being a female performer (the tampons disgusted and scared all the guys in the club).

One of my favorites


Audrey Mascina and Jerome Sans from Liquid Architecture own two pieces from Linder’s 1977 “Pretty Girl Series.” They were featured in one of the latest Selby photo-logs.


Untitled, 1977 Magazine and newspaper collage on paper; 8 x 8 1/2 inches


A flyer for the Buzzcocks (Howard was, at one time, her boyfriend)




The famous Buzzcocks image


The Pickpocket cover


Riding the Rag cover

When she wasn't shocking people with dresses of disgusting meat, she wore her mussed, eyebrows heavy and raised, simple black sweaters, lace dresses and sliced asymmetrical skirts. Her uniform was very punk, but completely uncliche and chic.

Die Doraus Und Die Marinas

Download the album from Death Wears White Socks

Movies With Style: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains

Arguably one of the best cult punk rock films of all time, at least when it comes to girl punk bands. I think it captures sexism in music very well (something I and other female djs sometimes encounter when we spin, like it is a gimmick or something).
The film's "consultant" was famed punk rock journalist Caroline Coon who was on set to help style the girls and keep authenticity. Starring a teenage Diane Lane and Laura Dern, the movie has an all-star cast of first wave punk rockers and rockers (ex-Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook, Paul Simonon from The Clash, Vince Welnick and Fee Waybill from San Francisco's The Tubes, Black Randy from Black Randy and the Metrosquad and some awesome Rasta called Lawnboy).

Here's my Polyvore hommage to Third Degree Burns, all you need is some "skunk" stripes!



Gibson SG, basic underwear, Old Navy, socks, Hue, trench, Burberry, seamed stockings, random, lace shoes, Givenchy, sheer blouse, Charlotte Russe, red beret, Miss Selfridge

And the whole film via YouTube!!!!

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10

French Synth Wave

Under the monikers Ilitch, Ruth and his own name, Thierry Müller is one of my favorite French wave artists of all time.

This stunningly fantastic synth album from 1985 is so hard to come by on LP (though the album was released on Fractal Records some time last year).




Listen to my favorite Ruth songs

Mots (from Art Decade)
Thriller (from Warped Reality)
Polaroid Roman Photo (From Flexxx)

And...
Since I haven't been putting up many music postings, here is Caroline Loeb's "Narcissique" from her 1983 Ze Records release, Piranana.

Narcissique (from zshare)

Style Iconoclast: Patti

I watched Dream Of Life, a terribly unorganized Patti Smith documentary that bored me to tears and thoroughly disappointed me when it came to capturing her life, her work, her persona. The only thing I really walked away with was a bit of her perspective on style.

It was interesting to see footage of her in the 1960's hanging out with hippies and wearing those famously oversized white button downs, that wide brim hat, the black combat boots and those grossly slim black jeans and trousers. I rewound many images of her wearing what she calls the same uniform she has always worn since she was a young women and finding that the aged Patti (though she now wears Prada shoes and trousers with a men's Comme De Garcon button down) hasn't changed a bit.

Maybe that is what real style is about; the uniform. It isn't about looking current every damn season or following trends of the latest young designer. It is about looking impeccable in some variation of what you would want to wear every day of your life. It is that wonderfully comfortable outfit you would wear till moths had claimed it or death had claimed you.

Here she is, just to inspire.

Looking very girly in mixed prints

Young Patti wearing heels?

the classic uniform (which would influence the obvious Japanese designers that she herself loves to wear now)




These two are actually photo-realist paintings by Franz Gertsch (circa 1978). Amazing stockings and vest, paired with an oversized tee as a dress (yes, she did it first!)

And she inspires other stylish people!

A Londoner from Facehunter

Looks from Ann Demeulemeester Spring 09'

And I think kids in SF (and for some reason, it is so hard for the Bay Area to dress well), are starting to capture this look very well, like my friend Emil who has always had lovely style

(photo from Garbage Dress)

Kleenex

I just did a complete makeover of ThreeGirlRhumba. It looks less cramped and I like how I have room to post bigger, bolder pictures. What do you think?

While folding my laundry, I just found an amazing video of Kleenex performing "Nice". They are one of three all-female bands of the first wave of punk (besides the Slits and Raincoats). Truly pioneers of their era.



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Nice (this one was disabled. Sorry about the link, but the performance is super good and very rare!)

Movies With Style: Slogan

I'm watching Slogan, the film where Serge and Jane met and fell in love. The film is like a hornier, French strumpet version of Annie Hall (lots of boobies!). It is shot beautifully, well styled (check out Jane's "Darling" mini!) and the music is so good. I love how the soundtrack theme, "La Chanson de Slogan," encircles the film throughout as though foreshadowing the end. Though he is a horrible man-slut in the film, I can't help my attraction to Serge's character. I guess that makes me a bit of a strumpet myself!

here is one more sexy video!
L'hôtel particulier