Friday, August 28, 2009

BREAKFAST PERIODIC TABLE



Gastronimica: The Journal of Food and Culture, vol. 9, no. 2, p.122. 2009 by Catherine Weese.

"Cereal is an emblem of industrial artifice, and this table addresses it's design evolution. After extensive research in the supermarket breakfast-foods aisle, I divided the cereals I found into five categories based on shape: the square or orthogonal, the flake, the "grain", the round and its variations, and the "fake". The table orders them in rows by shape; within each row they are in chronological order according to the date of their introduction into the market (indicated by the "elemental" number on top left). Subsidiary information includes nutritional data, price (which is no longer up-to-date), and manufacturer.

Over the course of my research I was struck by how American breakfast cereals, perhaps unwittingly, participated in the design trends of the times. The gridded shape of Shredded Wheat, the first mass-marketed cereal (1894), celebrates the industrial process and the prospect of uniformity. The flake and grain are stylized renditions of cereal's natural origins, an almost Arts and Crafts sensibility. The next geometric shape to appear on the market was the ball (Kix, 1937); its abstraction, subverted by playful connotations, ushered in a new era of cereal that targets children. Finally, the "fake" cereals emerging in the 1950s brought in the postmodern era, in which cereal pretends to be something else. My personal favorite in this category is Crunchberries (1968), and breakfast cereal imitating breakfast cereal. Its square pillows and red berries are a miniaturized version of Shredded Wheat with Raspberries, as depicted on the product's box. Thus, cereal completes its tour of twentieth-century design, from early modernism to wistful anti-industrialism to cheeky postmodern quotation."

....a really entertaining article in Gastronomica's Spring issue. I couldn't find Weese's full table online so this will have to suffice. If you're interested in this food quarterly feel free to email me-- I'll lend ya a copy!

VICIOUS



Rihanna in next Vogue Italia. Photographed by Steven Klein.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

JIL SANDER FOR UNIQLO: +J



Perfectly tailored basics for a fraction of the price! Don't you just love collabs? There'll be a menswear and womenswear line, the release date has not been confirmed but should happen sometime in October.

Jil Sander has signed an agreement, forming a continuous relationship (as opposed to a seasonal stint) with Uniqlo. She will be overseeing the apparel for the entire company sans accessories and children's wear.

"Some of you [have known] me since I have been engaged in fashion but I'm not interested in the past. Let us talk today about the future... I'm here in Tokyo for something completely different. The challenge for me is to establish a premium quality in a democratically-priced range."
-Sander, WWD


Grey jacket and cardigan, $133.00; pants, $51.00; from Men's Non-No Magazine

You can view a few pieces from the women's collection here.

Friday, August 14, 2009

THERESE RAWSTHORNE!!!



SS09-10

Discovered this special lady whilst shopping at Frances May (hey girl!). Alls I gotta say is that she is loco, esse.

This Australian designer has worked for Issey Miyake and Oswald Boateng and started up Youth World, now renamed after herself after three successful seasons.

If you're lucky enough, you can check out a few of her pieces at the Frances May shop on the SW 10th and Washington-- I die over the Snake Charmer dress!

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

SECRET SALE Y'ALL


Just went cray cray...



denim shorties, distressed strap tank, mesh tube tabard

WIN WIN WIN

w/ Rachel Comey easy tank

(Recently scored Current/Elliot 'jegging' @ Love, Portland. I'm trying to put photos up soon, sans camel toe).

Monday, August 10, 2009

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