I could die!

Okay, I just ran across Yuima Nakazato’s graduate collection from the Royal Academy at Antwerp and I have to say that I haven’t had this reaction to fashion for a long, long… forever time.  They are all at once the essence of androgynous anarchist dadaism combined with a strong geometric futurist look.  I think as far as experimental fashion goes this is my absolute favorite I’ve seen so far.  Also it is apparently made of wood…? I don’t know how or exactly what is going on in these pieces but I love it!  Furthermore, I think it is definitely a vision for what fashion could be in an anarchist world.  Eat your fucking hearts out.

Anarchist Fashion History: The New Romantics

So I just ran across these amahzing pictures of the new romantics and couldn’t help but post them right away… I don’t want to say that this was the golden age of anarchist fashion, but one could definitely make a strong argument!  Some of these looks might be a hair on the zany side, but all in all they offer some fantastic points of inspiration! Aaahh!  

just lovely…

Here’s a fantastic spring collection by Robert Geller, not like anyone reading this could ever afford it! But nevertheless, note how all the outfits are s.a.f. (snappy as fuck) but there is an element of nonchalance to all of them.  

A Word of Advice: Zany is Your Enemy!  It is best to avoid looking zany at all costs, in fact, write the word ‘zany’ on your wall with an ‘x’ through it to remind yourself before you go out.  You are not dressing Weird Al, you’ve got to keep it together!  I only say this because today I was assaulted by a slew of totally zany outfits and they left me feeling a little hollow inside. It is one thing to make a fashion statement, but when it becomes too loud, it is just a fashion shout-ment and basically a cry for help or a cry to be put out of your misery.  Coco Chanel said “always take off the last accessory you put on” and I think that is sound advice for mansies.  It is always better to have a look that is simple, classic and elegant rather than go overboard with ironic accessories.  

These looks are just that, they are all experimental, unusual and unique while maintaining sophistication and poise. They are a perfect contemporary translation of the films of Fritz Lang, Joe May and Visconti, his inspiration for the collection.

James Bond and Gender Subversion

There are times when The Boulevardier is maybe hungover from one too many stiff drinks given to him by a bartender inappropriately named Mercy wearing a pinstripe suit, a la a black Marlene Dietrich, in a speakeasy/dive bar (it wasn’t clear which) in Five Points, and desires  to sneak into a mindless, shiny, big budget film… my camera was out of batteries otherwise you’d be reading a totally different post! Blah, blah blah… so I saw the new James Bond movie yesterday. Besides, in a fashion sense, I was getting very curious about the movie as Tom Ford was the stylist and well, he’s Tom Ford!

Now, I use to hate hate hate James Bond, the colonialist undertones, the portrayal of women, the good cop morality, the classism, the capitalism, the list goes on and on.  That was until I started living in a co-op with my friend Paige who idolizes Bond, has every movie and nearly every poster and I believe fancies herself a lesbian equivalent of 007.  Paige is probably the most athletic person in the universe, she’s a jiu jitsu master, an anarchist animal rights activist, the only healthy vegan I’ve ever met (so healthy in fact she practically glows) and is an all around heartbreaker.  I have huge respect for Paige and the fact that she is a fan of Bond has made me reconsider my adbusting fears.

The spirit of James Bond as icon is particularly interesting to me, maybe he is a transman in a secret anarchist collective- something I think every mansy has aspired to at one point or another.  But seriously, if you haven’t given yourself the treat of being a secret anarchist spy, then you better get to it, it is a thrill which has no parallel, and yes, The Boulevardier knows this thrill firsthand.

James Bond as a symbol for sexual and gender fluidity is also pretty common, creator Ian Fleming was not exactly heterosexual and even Daniel Craig wished that they would add a bisexual element to the films.   I think the most beautiful interpretation of Bond was In the book Smile as they Bow by Nu Nu Yi.  In it, the main character Daisy Bond, is a transgender Burmese nat kadaw who has taken on the name Bond because of her ability to outsmart homophobic cops that try to arrest her.  Some nat kadaws:

As far the fashion in the new Bond movie however, I have to say that you won’t be finding a positive review from the Boulevardier on this one.  I love Tom Ford but I think he watered down his designs too much for the movie and lost that… well frankly, gay decadence that he’s known for.  While the suits Daniel Craig wore were absolutely perfect and fit him like a dream, they lacked innovation and creativity and relied on luxury for luxury’s sake.  It reminded me a lot of the Fort Knox Wine Holder, if you know what I mean!

(yes, that is a solid gold wine rack.)

Here’s the problem, Tom Ford was born in Club 54! He is the real life Brian Kinney from q.a.f., (I mean other than Brian Kenny…) and he had the chance to dress James Bond!? This should have been a gimmie, Ford himself dresses like a secret agent and  there is so so so much he could have done with the epitome of manly dandism, and he gave us nothing but a five figure suit. Boring, boring, boring!  Tom Ford is a master of gender subversion and [sigh] I guess I just expect a lot more from someone with an ad campaign like this:

Black Bloc Fashion: Ya Basta! (enough already!)

This week I’ve been following up on the Greek anarchist riots and while I’m inspired by their moxy, I haven’t been terribly impressed at the men’s fashion I’ve seen.  It brings up a serious discussion about anarchist fashion, and one that I will try to pose to my readership as a question rather than a solution, though honestly I’ve had it up to here with the fucking 99′er black hoodie, so I will probably be a little biased. 

To me, one facet of anarchism is the discussion of ends versus means, and never getting into a situation where the ends justify horrible means that will ultimately sacrifice the ends anyway, (read: fuck communism).  I think that is essentially what is happening with the black bloc though, we’ve taken that particular fashion direction for granted and allowed it to dictate all our other fashion choices.  

May 68: a successful riot without a black bloc:

I mentioned before that mainstream men’s fashion was forged in the military and then foisted on the male populace as a nation building technique.  In anarchist circles, the black bloc has the same result.  Obviously, no anarchist has orchestrated this, but the results are the same. Many anarchist men I meet are afraid to wear color, to be non utilitarian, to be sensual or outwardly express their sexuality. Anarchist men’s fashion seems permanently mired in street fighter and militia man, and with it comes the same vulgar credo as the army, “be prepared”.  Is it worth it? Are the victories we’ve won with this tactic enough to justify the effect on our mansies?

Pictures from the Stonewall Riot, note the absence of a black bloc:

Mansy Fashion Icon: Sébastien Tellier

 

After yesterday’s TruckExpo (the last time I’m ever going to say that phrase) the Sébastien Tellier concert was a much needed fashion revitalization.  With his confrontational sunglasses, light pink sink scarf, and of course his grey sparkly blazer (apparently I really like sparkly blazers!) he was like a walking, smoking, white wine drinking mansy fashion juggernaught.  I will say that I wish he had a better cut of pants but with such perfect flourishes, one can overlook the lesser details.  Did I mention at one point he was smoking out of his nose? 

 

With more fake smoke than you could possibly imagine, candles and very smooth french electro, for at least that one night the Boulevardier achieved the pinnacle of the much sought after “adult. contemporary. anarchist.” experience.  Here is my outfit that I wore to the concert, it is a riff on the aw08 women’s Givenchy collection and as you can see, what I lack in beard is made up for in chains…

What we’re dealing with…

I’m not sure that I’ve impressed upon you, dear reader, the gravity of the situation that we are facing when it comes to men’s fashion, but after today’s experience I think that the time is now to make it known that the situation is absolutely dire and the stakes high. Now, the Boulevardier prides himself on taking things to the fashion extreme but today, things got a little out of hand.  I was exploring the fashion potential of a holiday craft fair, a couple of years ago my friend had innovated the men’s fashion appropriation of women’s holiday sweaters and I was following up on this trend to consider if there was any other fashion relevance to be gleaned from this situation, this is the Boulevardier’s thankless job.  After seeing the glitter santa sweaters in full force I have to reiterate my stance that irony is dead dead dead, don’t try to resurrect it! I was however, intrigued by the potential to make recycled shopping bags into useable clothes or accessories.  One woman I met was taking plastic bags and ironing them together, making a thick plastic material that she used to make sturdy shopping bags, though it could be used fashionably in more experimental, costume or party looks.

Even in that sea of Christmas broaches and puff paint I was feeling fine, until I wandered away from the craft fair into pure hell.  Unbeknownst to me, next to the craft fair was what can only be described as a rodeo for trucks.  My first impression was a group of soldiers milling about in fatigues, loading things into some super truck and basically overlooking the fashion bloodbath with glee.  There were more cargo pants than you can shake a dick at, and plenty of backwards caps. Every man was in a t-shirt, all with text mostly related to some product – whether it was the nation, a sport team or some beverage made by homophobes or death squads.  Just outside the main arena a group of about 30 men were staring for about 20 minutes at a truck perched on a skewed ramp and for every oversized Broncos shirt wearing mother, there were her two young jugalo sons in black ICP shirts, one skinny and the other fat, and both with their hair shaved in all the wrong places.  Walking into the main center, I heard a man remark [warning: extreme vulgarity to follow] “Wulp, I’m just surprised my dog ain’t laid a deuce here yet.”  And honestly, given the situation, so was I.  The rest is hazy, I was in such shock I can only recall trucks so big that I had to look away out of pure shock and awe, that was what they were built for, no?  Now, I was raised in a small town in rural Colorado, had plenty of friends that raced dirt bags, or whatever, but this was a too harsh reminder of the harsh reality for mansies.

Which brings me to Naomi Klein.  In her theory on disaster capitalism she discusses how free market extremists wait (sometimes) until cities or countries are in shock from natural disasters or wars to implement their policies.  I realized at the TruckFest that this is exactly what is happening to men’s fashion.  For fashion, masculinity is defined in extreme situations such as war or natural disasters, the army utilizes these situations to engender masculinity with the credo “always be prepared” and this is then implemented across the boards as the only acceptable garb.  Poor radical mansies! Even they fall into this game when they dress like they’re in the Indie Army or they are sporting the L.L. Bean’s post apocalypse line.   But we don’t need to go out like that, here are a couple of pics that are like baby steps helping our mansies move away from Xtremism, meaning, if you must wear plaid, here are a couple suggestions: (Let’s be clear here, button that shit up! And put on a bow tie, if you’re feeling sassy.)

And here’s a parting fuck you for the unbelievers:

Chuck Bass and Sapeurs (Bart Bass is dead!)

Alright, so I might as well tell you up front.  I have a problem. That’s right, an addiction, so to speak.  As an anarchist I try and try to justify this, resulting in schizy posts like this, but in the end, there is really no excuse.  If it’s any consolation, I still do not own a tv and commercials make me dizzy! But seriously, ever since I went on a Rubí telenovela rampage, I’ve been addicted to sweeping melodrama, and since I know how much you love this column, I’m sure you’ll have no problem talking about….. Gossip Girl!!!

And what better time! Bart Bass (Chuck Bass’ father) is DEAD and Chuck Bass is going to, fashionably, lose it! Okay, Okay here’s my theory: Sketchy cop Andrew Taylor kills Bart Bass either because he is getting fired OR because of Dan Humphrey’s article about how B.Bass killed someone in that fake real estate fire OR because he found out some crazy shit about Lily and then, and then, Chuck finds out about it and wants to destroy Lily…?! So my theory isn’t fully thought out yet! Eitherway, my inside sources say that next week’s episode is going to be a real tear jerker! But, let’s get back to the fashion…

An Intro to Chuck Bass Fashion

 

 

Since we’re talking about one of the trashiest shows on tv, let’s not fuck around here. Chuck Bass is a fashion icon because his look is constructed by gg stylist Eric Daman, whose stated purpose in designing Chuck’s fashion is to undermine heteronormative symbology.  To quote Daman, “Girls do it, so now it’s time for the guys to step up and get rid of those ugly T-shirts and square-toed shoes.” Simple, but to the point.

But here’s the real question, what makes Chuck Bass’ fashion so… meow? In my opinion, it is because Daman employs the strategies of confrontational eccentricity to evoke the symbols that we associate with wealth and heteronormativity and twists them in such a way that irrevocably undermines them.  Chuck is too sharp, his look is too constructed, he is too sensual, he is too fashion conscious to be your average straight rich white man. He doesn’t blend in and he doesn’t want to, which sets him at odds with all the other men’s fashion in the show and the constructed masculinity of mainstream men’s fashion in general. That is and will always be the role of Chuck Bass, fashion anarchist… okay, I know that goes too far!

But that is not to say that Eric Daman has originated this approach to fashion, I suspect he is a little more than influenced by cultures like the Congelese Sapeurs pictured here:

Like Eric Daman, the Sapeurs utilize fashion to undermine authoritarian gender roles but take it much further.  Their stance as non-violent, polite, fashion forward gentlemen puts them directly at odds with the militaristic climate of the Congo, and in doing so, demonstrates the radical and anti-authoritarian power of fashion. If you would like to find out more, there is a wonderful site from the documentarian Hector Mediavilla, with music and background stories for the pictures all about the Sapeurs here.

But back to gg! Let’s not forget the best part, his sequin blazer!!! aaah!!!

And here’s one of my Chuck Bass outfits…

xoxo,

the boulevardier

 

Btw, when is Chuck going to give up on Blair and find a nice boy to settle down with! Let’s not forget that in Cecily von Ziegesar’s original Gossip Girl book series Chuck is bisexual and his conflict with Dan Humphrey originates over Dan sleeping with Chuck’s boyfriend Greg, which is a far cry from the waspy “tolerance” in the tv version… Maybe there will be a Chuck romance with Eric Vanderwoodsen? it would be nice to see him step out of the token shadow a little! (Plus, it sounds like Ed Westwick has internalized a little bit of the og Chuck, because last I heard there was definitely something brewing with co-star Chace Crawford…?!)

Semina Culture and Sketchball Fashion

I recently ran across a fantastic article in the latest Another Man about designer Adam Kimmel’s look at Semina as inspiration for his aw08 collection. Semina was a journal put out in the 50′s by Wallace Berman that collected poems, art and literature from all the major beat artists, William Burroughs, Alan Ginsberg, Charles Bukowski, Alexander Trocchi, Michael McClure etc. Kimmel’s goal was to take the way the male beats approached fashion as reflected through their values and translate that into a contemporary collection.

While I think that a lot of his pieces stray quite a bit (sweatpants tucked into socks with a blazer or a navy blue velour jumpsuit come to mind), even more than his particular collection, the highlights seen above, I think his approach is spot on. I love the idea of taking the counter-culture values of the beats and turning that into fashion. From what I’ve read about it since the article, Semina is an incredible journal and Wallace Berman equally amazing, for one, even though he’s in his 80′s he is still an avid dumpster diver!

This approach to fashion reminds me a lot of the anarchist co-ops that I use to live in, combining eccentricity, anti-capitalism and non-chalance to create a look that is astonishing in both style and gall. My friend Uncle Sloshua comes to mind first. Here’s a mansy who pieces outfits together like a roulette wheel of ridiculous male fashion stereotypes: Sicilian cowboy pimp, 70′s traveling salesman, beatnik motorcycle greaser, and the most recent vietnam vet w/cop mustache. Here he is looking particularly dapper and unabashedly sketchy, note the gold belt.