Stylee Fridays: Grace Coddington and Her Catwalk Cats
- story Chioma Nnadi
It’s been one month, three weeks and two days since we went to see The September Issue, but our crush on creative director Grace Coddington shows no signs of abating. Aside from being the most amazing fashion stylist the world has ever seen, Coddington is a dedicated cat lady—she has been known to sneak kittens into her fashion stories (dyed-purple!!), and we’re pretty sure if she had her way there would be an annual issue dedicated to her four-legged friends on the Vogue editorial calendar. Alongside her partner Didier Malige, she has been nuturing a giant cat family for the past 20 years in the West Village. And her book The Catwalk Cats is Coddington’s illustrated love letter to the pack. Told through the eyes of Puff, the handsome red-headed Tabby in the bunch, the book is divided into four chapters and four seasons, starting with the birth of Bart, a drop dead gorgeous Blue Persian cat, and traces front-row antics, Met Ball outfits and frollickings with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Rei Kawakubo. Coddington does all of the drawings, and you can literally chart her own real-life adventures—parts of the spring chapter are scribbled on Ritz Paris note paper (covering the shows perhaps?) among other hotels in far lung locales. Hands down the sweetest moments in this tale: Maligne’s gallery of feline at home pictures, including snaps of Grace feeding Bart his first breakast.
Teki Latex’s Phenomenon Capsule Line
We’ve written about Teki Latex’s impeccable style before, and apparently we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed his propensity for colorful prep and confident quirks. Japanese men’s label Phenomenon, whose most recent line consisted of Warriors-inspired street style with a touch of pagan apocalypse, has enlisted Teki to create a capsule collection based on his personal aesthetic. He graciously sent us an exclusive sneak peek at the lookbook full of crisp polos with dandyish elements like top hats and canes combined with Pac-Man-y pop art, a characteristic blend of playful and classic. But the piece that really turned us out was this crazy Cosby-invoking cardigan with all the pieces of the line combined in one pop: what appears to be a shark (dinosaur?) polar bear (thanks dudes!) in a top hat with a cane and a monocle. Touché, Teki, touché.
The Mishka X New Era Collection is Thoroughly Warm
- story Chioma Nnadi
There are a few silhouettes in the new crop of Mishka X New Era caps and all of these toppers have been designed with style and Siberian wind chill factors in mind. There’s the MiG Aviator (a sturdy Soviet Air Force staple, with traditional fuzzy earflaps), the Gein Hunter cap (a quilted Elmer Fudd fave), both of which are tried and true body heat conservers. Even the breezy boy racer-inspired Cyrillic gets a winter update in melton wool.
Staff Affections
- story Alex Frank
Every Thursday, FADER style assistant Alex Frank asks employees and employers at our favorite shops around the world what their most cherished in-store item is at that exact moment. This week, we caught up with Portland’s Stand Up Comedy.
Lessons in French Dressing From Bérangère Claire
- story Chioma Nnadi
Last week, a member of the style department who shall remain nameless showed up dressed as a French lady to a Halloween party hosted by two Parisians. Needless to say, in a roomful of bona fide French folks, the irony was not hitting. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what keeps us running back to designer Bérangère Claire every season, but it definitely has something to do with that deceptively simple je ne sais quoi of French dressing. She manages to reinvent the classics, adding sweet exchange student staples to the line—an easy plaid mini here, a crisp white button-down there—with every season. And her fall 2009 lookbook of crazily nonchalant French kids is enough to inspire some of us to practice our best French face and re-up for next year.
Walter Van Beirendonck’s Crass Communication
- story Alex Frank
Walter Van Beirendonck is a designer whose work speaks for itself, so it’s no problem that we can’t understand the Flemish text in his new book. His collections are always an amazing and often tongue-in-cheek refutation of good taste, a seasonal reminder that menswear can move beyond peacoats and navy blazers. It’s his sense of humor that makes us love him so, and that funny bone is definitely front-and-center here. There’s cartoonish quilts on one page, men wearing Mary Janes and sheer masks on another, and good vibes enhancing bright color everywhere. Pictures from the book after the jump.
Reality Studio Designs Clothes For Ancient Igloos
- story Chioma Nnadi
Set in the eastern arctic wilderness about 1000 years ago, Inuit movie Atanarjuat the Fast Runner is said to be a work of icy supernatural wonder. Reality Studio, women’s wear line out of Berlin, based its entire fall collection on the action thriller, and the clothes—huge hooded coats and tons of cozy draped wool over gorgeous wintry prints—are enough to make us update our Netflix queue immediately. In the meantime, we’re working on a fashion legend of our very own, a tale that involves a super-powered canoe and an epic journey across the seas to the Henrik Vibskov store in Copenhagen, where choice pieces from the collection just went on sale.
Nerd Boyfriend is Our Main Squeeze
- story Siri Thorson
Everyone knows that nerds make the best companions. They’re shy, sensitive, and they can show you how to download a ton of free games for your DS. Sadly, the misconception that nerds don’t know how to dress themselves (without mom’s help) still seems to linger in the cultural subconscious. If ever you needed proof that fashion and nerdiness can—and do—walk hand in hand, then take a look at Nerd Boyfriend. Featuring a regularly updated, impeccably curated selection of vintage photographs of everyone’s favorite fashionable nerds, from Art Garfunkel to Robert Crumb to Tennessee Williams, the site offers up a shopping guide for how to capture each look for yourself or your significantly nerdy other. Seriously helpful styling tips whether you are a nerd boyfriend, have a nerd boyfriend, or just wish you did.
The Uniform Project Trailer
- story Chioma Nnadi
The Uniform Project Trailer from The Uniform Project on Vimeo.
Sheena Mathieken is just over halfway through The Uniform Project, a 365-day sartorial challenge that involves wearing and endlessly re-styling the same little black dress. We actually bumped into Mathieken a couple of weeks ago and can attest that she’s still going strong, working her accessories (although the summer, she admits, was a little rough) and raising plenty of money for charity while she’s at it. She recently posted a short film about the project on her website, and there’s even a special Uniform Project accessories soireé coming up later this week to celebrate the six month mark. Details after the jump.
Itemized: Tretorn Klippor Leather Boot
- story Peter Macia
Every week a different FADER staff member will pick a clothing item or accessory that he or she has lately been spending a lot of time with—or would like to—and write a little love letter to it. We would’ve done a column on who we’re dating but that seemed a little bit much. This week Peter Macia writes about the Tretorn Klippor Leather Boot.
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posted on Nov 3, 2009 in ITEMIZED tags
