New Dandyism

Kim Gordon’s Mirror/Dash label

As a So-Cal suburban teen, I was a die-hard Sonic Youth lover. So when Kim Gordon launched X-Girl clothing in 1994, I became an insta-fan. My favorite T-shirt was electric blue and said X-Girl in neon orange and pink and wearing it immediately helped me separate the kids I’d like to know from the ones I wouldn’t: every jock would say. ‘X-Girl, does that mean you’re a dude now?’, while every music nerd would give a knowing nod of alliance. I still mourn its American, demise so I’m thrilled that Kim Gordon is back in the fashion game with a new line called Mirror/Dash, coming out February 16 at Urban Outfitters. The collection has a feminine, tomboy feel, much like Gordon herself, and features a slouchy pocket t-shirt dress, a casually sexy wrap dress, and the necessary blazer staple, among other items. Whether she’s rocking out with Thurston Moore in Sonic Youth, making art, or jamming with her other band Free Kitten, Kim Gordon continues to epitomize cool. And I have no doubt each piece in her collection will, too Read more

Carrot Clothing

Aside from creating startlingly original looking hoodies and tees, fashion label Carrot Clothing also has an interesting story to tell. The label was founded in Serbia, where the owner, Alex, ‘in an effort to uplift lagging spirits and voice personal concerns about freedom, began printing t-shirts featuring unmuted anti-war messages for family and friends’. This landed him in jail and at the mercy of unforgiving local authorities for spreading allegedly ‘terrorist’ policies. Since then, he has ‘joined forces with skateboarders, street artists, and other creative minds to establish Carrot Clothing, a brand whose essence is based upon the family-like relationships between global art, skate, and street communities’. Read more

One Last Ounce experimental fashion project

One Last Ounce is an experimental project exploring surreal imagery on an abstract cut. Says designer Jake Jelicich on his creative rationale: ‘I wanted to make thin, unique, comfortable tees that flowed and moved with the night. And I wanted the art to be dark, but sarcastic, mystical and inspiring, all in the same glance. These shirts are about long nights with good friends, being spontaneous, and letting the street lights guide you home’. Read more

Electronic Poet

For an industry that spends so much time fratenising with musicians, few designers ever admit to being primarily influenced by the music industry itself. Electronic Poet are an exception. Read more

Nova Dando

Highly unwearable but aesthetically riveting, Nova Dando is making killer waves in the notoriously hard to crack London fashion scene. Perhaps the reason she is so visible is that her collections are consistently outrageous, exceptional and innovative showstoppers. Read more

David Saunders’ neon fantasy

While I feel I am not alone in breathing a sigh of relief over this season’s purging of fluoro, in retrospect there was a lot to be learned from the experience: don’t wear all fluoro, or don’t wear fluoro at all. And we slowly trudged back to black, which, despite what other colors may think, will always be the new black. Read more