Slow to catch the geek boat?

Page6 in the New York Post ran the above image with a story about how Buddy Holly specs are all the rage. Martin Scorcese and Woody Allen must be smug about how this look has become an official trend.
Several years ago I lived in Berlin and was astonished at how ahead of the curve their style is; girls and boys alike are daredevils without much care for the finishing and details in their clothes. Elsewhere in Europe - in Paris, and London - you tend to see the start of a trend wave in highstreet shops. But in Berlin, you get a real stab at individuals - apart from the mainstream droves - doing something kooky, off-beat, 'fugly' and even unflattering with their style that then, takes another several years to become a major fashion trend in other cities. I remember seeing this phenomenon take place in Berlin with eighties asymmetrical haircuts long before they'd barfed out of salons in New York. Same goes for skinny jeans so tight they threatened to cut off the circulation of blood in your ankles. Now, many years after observing young Berliners balance clunky, vintage, nerdbomber eye glasses that occupy three-quarters of one's visage, geeky spectacles are being worn by fashionistas and celebrities.

I've been wearing a pair of nerdy, retro, slight cat-eye shaped, tortoise shelled Kio Yamato's for four years now. But I also love 'nerd' spectacles that stray from the Woody Allen effect; offering a less serious vibe. I have a pair of 1950's, white and gold Valentino's and my favorite; a newly acquired pair of black plastic-stemmed, John Lennonesque, circle shaped vintage Gianfranco Ferre's with gold detailing are awaiting new lenses at the optician as I type this.

I wear prescriptive glasses but I would wear nerdy glasses with fake lenses even if I had perfect vision because, like any other non-utilitarian accessory (a necktie, earrings etc)., spectacles can drastically change your look - even if just for a day.

Fads come and go, style stays

A few seasons ago, at an upscale store on Saint Laurent Blvd in Montréal, a salesperson complimented my footwear and asked, 'who I was wearing'. When I answered, "Costume National", the young and very trendy salesclerk snottily quipped, 'how surprising, because they're like, so irrelevant in the fashion world now'. Not that price alone dictates luxury boundaries, but it's not as though Costume is exactly a staple at mall outlets!

Recovering from my annoyance, I explained that Costume has proven longevity in an industry where many labels do not; they have a legacy of making well-designed, unique, comfortable and indeed, very fashion-forward footwear. The salesclerk had a point that most luxury label-toting twenty-somethings would rather wear an 'edgier' name from a label that may be nothing more than a trendy flash-in-the-pan, in one season and out the next. But for my money: quality and style go the mile, and not, what I like to call mere 'status apparatus.'

At the F/W 2009 shows that just happened in Paris, Costume National proved their style centric acumen in a collection which they claim was in part, inspired by David Bowie whose wardrobe has been worked on recently by Costume's designer, Ennio Capasa.

Ahh, if only every one of my male fashion styling clients could afford these duds. Comment est-ce qu'on dit, GORGEOUS?

Euphoric with Reason / Amazing Grace

Peep the technique

I DJ old soul music, I'm a radio host, I'm a fashion stylist. I write (and publish!) articles along the academic lines, creative lines... about philosophy, culture, fashion, AND music.

Peep the latest in San Francisco music mag, XLR8R:

http://media.xlr8r.com/files/magazine/pdf/XLR8R%20124.pdf

It's a PDF of the latest issue, so once you're there, type "Raji Sohal" in the search finder for, 'Crunk to the Future', an article of my musings on the development of a new'ish movement in the realm of hip hop and electronic.

Say word? C'est word.

Louis Vuitton meets Stephen Sprouse... again

Louis Vuitton honors New York fashion designer and artist, Stephen Sprouse, with a launch of a new collection in his name at the LV SoHo flagaship store. Sprouse's own collections never sold nearly as well as did his collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 2001, which exploited Sprouse's dope, iconic graffiti logos. I don't know a single skater who'd pay the $8,250 damage for this totally ridiculous and yet enviable skateboard and trunk. Maybe a skater-poser like Avril Lavigne?? Although, I'm in the market for some luxury luggage and I must admit, that neon cotton-candy pink does look hot...

FENDI Monster

Before leaving for Hawaii, I was warned by friends and colleagues alike, that fashion is of no concern for locals there and I should expect nothing but a barrage of 'bikinis and boardshorts'. They were right. But they have a point: what other attire would I require when our days were spent relaxing on my friend's lush, ten-acre property (featured above) on the Big Island; lounging on white sand beaches, black sand beaches, jumping in the ocean, dipping into freshwater lakes in the middle of secluded forests, and general relishing of the sun's rejuvenating rays on my browning skin?! Hawaii may not be a fashion destination but I'm convinced, that it is a place for nature's magic to reveal itself in full-force.

Yet, it became apparent very quickly that between spaghetti-strap tanktops (ick) and string bikinis, Big Island locals stick to a strict dress code of 'hot weather very casual'. Already accustomed to sticking out like a sore thumb everywhere else in life, I mostly rocked 'Mrs. Roper" dresses: lightweight, floor length, wild-patterned vintage dresses. My Mrs.Roper gowns ended up being an appropriate and versatile choice; thrown over a swimsuit or worn to dinner with heels, they're an equal mix of practical and pretty.

After a couple of weeks on Big Island, we flew to Oahu for a very different experience - to kick it at a friend's extravagant penthouse suite with a view that reaches the mountains on one side and the beach on the other. We were only minutes away from the infamous beach mecca, Waikiki, where naturally, one would expect to see evidence of a higher fashion consciousness. The status on style? Negative. This was surprising: doesn't every major city have at least one pocket of unique fashion, a place where style mavericks dare to be boldly different than the rest of the sheep? Or, if nothing else, a place where status-motivated individuals boast a different major label to every garment they don?

My friend suggested we check out a fancy open-air 'mall' in Honolulu that housed some impressive high-end boutiques and we might check there for some style inspiration. Despite my obsession with fashion, a mall is the very last place I'd want to be while vacationing in glorious weather. Shouldn't we be spending every available waking hour gallivanting on the beach? We checked out the mall - Ala Moana - regardless, because what's a quick perusal of inspiring windows at Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel, right? What happened next is a bit of a blur.

Between the two of us, we tried on about one-hundred thousand dollars worth of clothes and, I am not exaggerating. "You really have to try it on to see how it looks" is more than an empty sales pitch; it is gospel. The staff at Ala Moana were the friendliest I've ever encountered in luxury boutiques anywhere. Experiences at the same boutiques in London, Paris and New York have never proffered such superb customer service. As we browsed from boutique to boutique, we admired the innovation in textiles at Prada, the attention to detail in the painstaking patterns in Chanel suits, and the luxurious fabrics at Louis. It was was as though our style appetites devoured these gems for nourishment as we salivated our way to the one boutique that stole my heart more than it ever has in the past - FENDI.

I have learned that I am certifiably a FENDI monster. I tried on every dress that remained on the racks from the Fall/Winter collection. Including the following items:
This one-shoulder, black silk, floor length gown actually looks better without a belt, in my opinion. I tried it on in two-sizes too big for me and the slouch actually showed the genius draping off better than it would if it fit super tight everywhere.
I also tried on the above leather jacket. It was part-Matrix and part-Victorian for its ruffles and rouches. I think they should have shown it on the runway without the accessories of a belt and satchel because it would have shown off the details of the intricate design on this handsewn leather masterpiece.

From fashioning myself, albeit briefly, in so many FENDI's ready-to-wear items, I've learned that Karl Lagerfeld and his cronies in Italy are geniuses at fit. Every single gown, dress, skirt, or blouse that I tried on fit me as though it was a couture piece; made-to-measure for my hips, narrow waist, prominent shoulders and long legs. Beyond perfect fit, at this point in my life, the signature classiness of FENDI with its hard-edged self-assuredness is exactly my style right now. For the last few years my look has been deeply influenced by Rick Owens (goth-rocker glam that plays with the skinny silhouette and volume) and Prada (techy, confident femininity). But what I tried on at FENDI was at once flattering and style-defining. Each piece became a statement when I tried it on; declarations of fun, playfulness, style acumen, and of quality.

In particular, one item at FENDI (shown above on models at a FENDI party) made me drool more than others: a Resort Collection navy-blue overall with crisscross racerback suspenders and a wide-leg trouser. Holy Mother of All Mothers. At the pricetag of $1,310 USD I considered what an investment it would me in not only my future, but the dynamite one-piece seemed like a good reason to have kids too; shouldn't a beautifully tailored and unique item like this be an heirloom?

One of my fave shopping pals found his favorite piece at FENDI too. A purple and black dyed chinchilla cape. Only he could get away with this one. The pricetag: $45,000 USD.



The cape fit so undeniably well on him that the manager approached us and offered a 30% discount without hesitation. Now, 30% makes quite the dent on something that costs as much as a decent luxury car. However, no takers here, unfortunately!

white on white

The color white symbolizes everything from the sacred and pure to the sterile and abstract. These images from an installation by Japanese label, w r i t t e n a f t e r w a r d s, reveal how even in the absence of color, the shade white can still provide a powerful presence through a variation in texture and play with layered materials.

2008 eCard Awards

E-cards have become de rigeur no doubt. I talked about it with the amazing Geeta Nadkarni, an eco celebrity on the national news at CBC Television in Canada. "Raji Sohal, a personal shopper and stylist extraordinaire shares her funky and innovative ideas for making wrapping paper and cards as exciting and useful as the gifts themselves." You can check out our clip by clicking here.

Now that the festive season has ended, I have to share my favorite eCard. It happens to be the one below from my pal, an artist known as Jack Dylan.Full disclosure: I took this photo of Jack during an impromptu photoshoot a couple of months ago, after a day spent personal shopping with Jack and the night before he embarked on an extended European adventure. We dolled him up in his some, let's say, 'unusual' but stylish items he suddenly acquired from someone. I like Jack's holiday eCard for two reasons: the 'killer' Top Gun expression, and the 80's font used in the 'Seasons Greetings' message. (Sidenote: I did a fun interview with Jack for my CBC Radio 1 column, 'Raji on the Verge' which aired a couple of months ago. When I figure out how to upload it to this Blogger post, I'll put it up so you can hear it!).

The runner-up award for best eCard goes to my friends, 'Rocky' and 'Todd' who sent me this xmas card from their recent sabbatical in Hawaii.