It was here that Community Art Centre laBOMBA invited art and fashion collective Rozalb de Mura to organise a project focused on urban situations of social confrontation, exploring the life of the Gypsy community living in this neighbourhood. The event featured electro-jazz band Biluna jamming with the children from Rahova-Uranus and a fashion show with 12 looks made by Rozalb de Mura using discarded clothes provided by the community members during a one-week residency in the area. The looks showcased were testament to the cultural clash and collaboration between the conceptual world of Rozalb de Mura and the work of the most active women in the community and also tackled issues of beauty, femininity and identity. As the fashion show turned into a party with a soundtrack courtesy of DJ Cristina, the Gypsy community, people from the flower market, hipsters, musicians and local kids, celebrated late into the night in the name of equality, inclusion and integration.”

As a fan of Rozalb de Mura and a Bucharest rezident, I was very excited to hear about this. Friends tell me it was a great event – wish I was there!

As for the future…

Rozalb de Mura: We have a few projects lined up: there’s a research residency at IASPIS in Stockholm with Swedish artist Lisa Torell, a performance at Pianissimo Gallery in Milan at the invitation of artist Ioana Nemes, and a recent commission to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of curator Alina Serban’s Centre for Visual Introspection Gallery in Bucharest.

My tumblr: PrettyFuckingNinja, where I posted over 300 photos in the past 2 months. A lot of them are fashion-related, so I saw no point to reblog them here. I’m saving this blog for reviews and rather more in-depth reactions, but if you want a quick fix, check out PFN! I add new pics constantly.

You can also find me on twitter @trinian for other updates and at Post-Indie, linked in the sidebar here.

See you in September!

//Isaac Likes

One of the most interesting aspects of being a teenager last decade was the opportunity to experience fashion’s change of focus from gender-specific design to gender-bending fun and the many instances of androgyny that found their way from the runway to streetwear. The new austerity pushed things even further; androgyny is perfect for the clean-cut image that speaks of quality rather than flashiness. Needless to say, the new Givenchy campaign is the only thing that would have made sense in this context for the brand, and it’s a thing of beauty.

I honestly think this could not have gone better.

I never tire of leather, but the tough look with bodycon dresses has run its course for now. So as I pondered this, I remembered the loose light dresses backstage at Acne et voila – problem solved! We can keep our leathers and our attitude (while not succumbing completely to the ’70s, which I hate). And the best part is that I can indulge my tassel fixation for a while.

You know how they say that shoes make an outfit – they’re right. Beautiful textures and counter-intuitive shapes make Kirkwood‘s SS10 collection a treat for you and your wardrobe.

Antonio Marras: For this collection I wanted to create a mix between the French look of Monsieur Hulot, a character created and played by filmmaker Jaques Tati, and the British film Quadrophenia.
Monsieur Hulot has such a unique body language and silhouette, wearing his raincoat over his slightly too short trousers, with his hat, pipe and umbrella. It’s his unconscious anarchy that fascinates me; his eccentricity; his joy and his freedom, which makes him whistle in the street. The proportions in the collection were exaggerated to accentuate the playful nature of his way of dressing: large, short trousers that show off marching socks, with slightly too tight jackets and short-sleeved shirts which reveal printed gloves. It was my way of twisting the codes of elegance.
Style is also about attitude and Quadrophenia inspired the dark side of the collection, giving it a more aggressive look. It added a rebel touch to a classical wardrobe.

I find the entire collection very inspiring, both in tailoring and texture-wise. Monsieur Hulot is iconic, which is liberating when styling with him in mind. And style I did:

It seems I’m dropping layers in favor of folds, pleats and lacing. About time, since I’d been at layering for two years. I was more than sick of the bulk it involved – and the endless despair over texture, length balance, amount of irony and contrast, and of random people comparing me to the lookbook.nu crowd. Not that there’s anything wrong with them, it’s just not my aesthetic. In fantasy land, I’d wear nothing but Malene Birger and Ann Demeulemeester for the next three months.

I love Yigal Azrouël’s layered tops. I don’t feel much for jewelry this spring, there were too many scarves to wear lately. No, I want paper-thin layered tops and heavy trousers or skirts. Bare neck, loose sleeves or none, and any embellishments from the cut itself, nothing added. I suppose it’s a bit like having my head in the clouds and my feet firmly on the ground.

And yes, that IS python.

Unfortunately, it’s not stocked anywhere yet, so we must keep our eyes open in the following months.