Grandizer Go

WE'RE SUPPORTING

Originally from Northern California, Amber Gray is now based in Manhattan, where she shoots for magazines such as Dansk, FQ, and Trace. Of her photography, she says: ‘I like to portray strong, vexing characters that have something more behind their gaze. I’m very inspired by music and the dramatic new wave characters of my childhood who conjured so many bizarre fantasies that still fuel my imagination to this day’.

WE'RE LISTENING TO

Last weekend I went to the Golden West in Baltimore to check out the What Cheer? Brigade, a marching band from Providence. I wasn’t expecting much, but when they opened with a cover of Slayer’s Raining Blood, my knees buckled. I think I could hear a musak version of that riff, and I’d still bang my head. The rest of the band’s set was just as riotous, with people dancing so hard, you’d think we were at Mardi Gras. I haven’t had that much fun at a show in ages.

WE'RE THINKING

Hong Kong-based illustrator Man-Tsun draws dark and beautiful painterly images that look like they are straight off a high-end Japanese animated film. Read more

WE'RE TRAVELLING TO

Ok, so I’m a big fan of any show that features sparkles, feathers and nipple tassels. Which explains why I’m so excited about the London Burlesque Festival. Come April, the city will be taken over by scantily clad women, vaudeville acts, dimly lit evening burlesque performances, and more outright wackiness than you can poke an ostrich-feather tickler at. If you’ve never been to a burlesque show before, and are a sucker for a suspender belt flicking or two, get ready for some heavy handed glamour and an experience you’ll never forget. And if you, like me, love an excuse to dress up in full costume and then take it off again to crowds of appreciative fans – raid the London vintage stores now for a costume and apply through the website to put yourself on stage. Applications close 31st December. [photo by Lisa Kereszi]

Peter Nalitch is Russia’s answer to Manu Chao. His video for the song Guitar is a Borat-like jab at low-budget, post-Soviet awkwardness — absurd English lyrics, Eurotrash earnestness, bad wipes, and cheap subtitles. But its tongue-in-cheekness is quite apparent, and the song is disarmingly catchy and romantic.

WE'RE WEARING

Alfred Hitchcock’s icy heroines inspired Yeojin Bae’s Autumn Winter 09 collection. Its 40s noir meets modern day muse with seductive tailoring and asymmetric style. Yeojin Bae’s signature has become ultra-feminine shapes contrasted with coveted tailored separates Unravelled shapes are expertly tailored. Raw edge silk blouses have dipping necklines and are worn boxy and loose. Wool Angora overcoats feature a dramatic bias cut hem and buckled flare sleeve in black or herringbone. Flame red chiffon falls delicately into an asymmetric wrap skirt, as figure hugging stretch leggings bring billowing shapes back into the body. Read more

WE'RE READING

San Francisco-based illustrator Luke Feldman has just had his first children’s book published, Chaff n’ Skaffs: Mai and the Lost Moskivvy, a collaboration with writer Amanda Chin. The book artfully tells the story of Mai, ‘a young girl who never ventured too far from her home. When a lost mosquito interrupts Mai’s sleep, her friend Chaff suggests they escort Moskivvy back home to a faraway land. So begins a courageous girl’s voyage into a fantastic world’, all communicated beautifully through Feldman’s colorful, dynamic and considered illustrations. Read more