The wonderful thing about these street style sites is that you get to see how other people interpret fashion and how some trends become global while others may be regional. This week’s style muse is this anonymous guy from Yvan’s Face Hunter. Usually the one leg roll reminds me too much of late ’90′s style but he gets a pass because I know what he’s going for and aside from that,

He is co-ordinated! The detailing on the coat is exquisite, I absolutely love the buckled closures, the waistcoat, the difference in pattern in the pants and the coat. It’s like a modern-day Newsies look with his spectators, except I don’t get the vibe that he will break into a song and dance.

♥ the alchemist

First, I have to rave over these beautiful images from design house commuun’s A/W 2007 collection.

Look at those colors!

Look at those shapes!

Little pieces of art. It feels like an experiment in photo lab work and color. The blues are my favorite.

Everything about this image is wonderful! I love the draping of this dress.

Designers Kaito Hori and Iku Furudate debuted in 2005 at the Paris ready-to-wear shows with their S/S 2006 collection. Commuun’s basic philosophy:

“The core idea of all collections is drawn from the structural aspect of nature,
with its balance and tensions. Commuun’s work aims at reconstructing these
features through simple but strong shapes and fine detailing. This fundamental
approach is also reflected in the exclusive use of natural and organic fabrics for
the collection. Before each collection, a detailed research is undertaken in order
to determine the most adequate fabrics to work with. Once carefully chosen,
the materials are further refined through the use of the traditional French pattern
cutting technique to create clothes of long-lasting quality, balance and functionality.
Commuun’s garments are best-known for their simple and well-tailored patterns
reinforced by futuristic details.” 

♥ the alchemist

If you’re currently drawn to moody looks and an all black color palette, then the latest collection from Chronicles of Never is right up your alley. Personally, I have always wanted to stand in the middle of a forest with a billowing flag so imagine my delight upon seeing these images. Seriously, I really like the vibe from designer Gareth Moody. (how ironic)  Chronicles of Never features clothing, shoes and jewelry for both men and women.

Also, in a perfect nod to my slight macabre sensibility, I am loving this skull necklace draped with other chains. I mean you can have a cross and skull-bones printed on your scarf, etc but this feels like an acutal outsider-art piece around your neck.

♥ the alchemist

Happy Friday! 

Here’s a little photo love courtesy of Flickr. Creativity is everywhere and it is definitely inspiring.
 “The world is but a canvas to the imagination.” – Henry David Thoreau

  photos courtesy of flickr: (1) iheartu; (2) mayr; (3) well read; (4) bench; (5) thunderhead; (6) seioubo

♥ the alchemist

**This is our weekly series on stylealchemy, titled Cinema Aesthetic, which explores the importance of wardrobe and set design within film (mostly) but may include music video and television**

A mediocre movie can distract you for awhile but an excellent film has the ability to mesmerize and transport you to another place for about 120 minutes. Growing up on fairy tales, they had the requisite formula of enduring some sort of turmoil before the hero/heroine could get to the happily ever after. Those tales were Grimm indeed!

Sometimes fantasy worlds are so over-the-top and your investment is so real, that you almost begin to believe that Narnia is just through the back of that wardrobe or that Neverland could be reached by flying from the “second star to the right and straight on till morning”.

Which is exactly what is so great about Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del fauno). You get completely swept away in this lush wonderul dark tale masquerading under the guise of a child’s fantasy.

Ofelia (played by the very talented Ivana Baquero) has the daunting task of dealing with a new living situation and the uncertainty that surrounds her. Set against the post-war repression of Franco’s Spain one can draw many parallels between the bleak, muted real world and the richly-hued gothic fantasy world.

Costume designer, Lala Huerte put together some fantastic ensembles for the cast including the very sharp-tailored look for mega-villain Captain Videl (the impressive Sergi López) who is just dastardly. (I have always wanted to use that word)

What really makes this movie besides the plot, the acting and outstanding make-up effects is the scenery and the wonderful set design. Eugenio Caballero helped to take director Guillermo del Toro’s vision and turn it into a sumptious reality.

Here are some behind-the-scenes footage into the making of the set.

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I love glancing through Wardrobe_Remix pool on Flickr which was created by the talented Tricia Royal of bits and bobbins. It’s the best place to see how real people rock their own style. While I love looking at designers and fashion shows and using those images for inspiration, it isn’t how I always dress. Street style is really where you see people’s imagination and creativity and their own personal aesthetic.

One girl who always stands out on Wardrobe Remix is sherbetone who inspires by creating masterpieces from thrift store and vintage items. However, it is this photo that makes her the style muse this week:

From the hat to the tights to the vintage shoe clips to the table to the books on the table, everything about this photo is perfection. Well done, sherbetone. Well done.

♥ the alchemist

Lately, I’ve been loving the blue and brown color combination. These blue tights (though in this light they look a little purple) have become a favorite in the short time that I have owned them. Paired with these brown boots, I feel inexplicable joy. It’s the little things, y’all. It’s the little things in life.

♥ the alchemist

What I really like about Ulrika Sandstrom’s A/W 2007 collection is the unexpected color combinations of bright shoes, interesting tights and dresses. Which is reflected in her online profile:

She enjoys working with contradictions, whether in influences, colours, shapes, or structures, to create a dynamic look. Her love of music is always present within her work, and through her collections, Ulrika aspires to create an atmosphere, communicate a feeling, and/or raise a thought. Her conviction is that fashion should be not only visually beautiful but also intelligent.

Here are some images.

I love the shape of this coat, the tights and the burst of color in the shoes.

♥ the alchemist

**This is a new series on stylealchemy, titled Cinema Aesthetic, which explores the importance of wardrobe and set design within film (mostly) but may include music video and television**

I’ll be the first to admit that I am a sucker for sweeping, historical dramas with elaborate costumes with corsetry and bustles galore but great costume design doesn’t always have to involve another century. Ghost World is one of my favorite movies and I adore its amazing eye candy in terms of setting. The dialogue is perfect for these complex characters who are truly quirky and the props and clothing contributes to their off-beat vibe.

For me, Enid (Thora Birch) is the perfect vehicle for that outsider who just doesn’t know what she wants and doesn’t quite fit in with everyone else. Her clothes are a collection of odds and ends from the thrift store, she wears vintage frames, little girl barrettes in her hair as she searches garage sales for music to listen to on her record player. You immediately understand that she isn’t pretentious, this is who she is. Costume Designer, Mary Zophres does the impressive job of helping to create this illusion of those who are on the fringe with the main characters and the normalcy of everyone else.

Struggling to find a way to relate to everyone else when others don’t get you, you start to collect a menagerie of like-minded individuals. Enter all the other folks like Seymour (the wonderful Steve Buscemi) as the eccentric older loser with the enviable vinyl collection of 78″ records and a cool apartment. Seymour has a sad, nerdy quality which is emphasized by his clothes or lack there of style. Best friend, Rebecca who is slowly becoming more interested in moving away from this scene and other characters help to round out this movie which has both its funny and depressing moments.

Here is a short trailer of this little gem.

♥ the alchemist

I’ve always associated lace with delicacy and femininity which is why I think this idea of a lace fence is so cool. Dutch design house DEMAKERSVAN has turned something utilitarian and functional like a wire fence and given it a touch of whimsy.

To take something so cold and industrial and add this effect really makes it into a work of art.

Plus, their mission is impressive:

“Dutch Design is mostly famous for its conceptual, almost art-like status.
We are very much Dutch, but apart from that, we also strongly believe that in the end our work should also find a larger audience.
That is why we work in a similar way as the Haute Couture fashion world works.
Our studio will take the largest amount of artistic freedom to express valuable concepts, fantastic stories in projects that know no limitations.
We use them ourselves as an inspiration and show them as a way to tell our story.
On the other hand that same drive can lead to products that find their way in the productionline.

We are storytellers, from fantasy to factory, from statement to product.”

♥ the alchemist

 Dealing With The I’ll Get To It Later Syndrome

                                   photo by megelizabeth on flickr

They say the only way to confront an issue is to come right out and talk about it – that the first step to recovery is admittance. So here goes…I have a problem.

No, it’s not alcohol and it’s not gambling and though I’ve never been to Atlantic City, I’ve seen pictures and I am mesmerized by how much gold-leaf Trump can cram into a square inch. It’s amazing and mathematically ingenious.

I did however, realize the other day that I have a problem with chocolate but a girl’s got to have some vices. No guys, my problem is much, much more sinister and dark. Very dark. Here goes…I’m a procrastinator! (waits for the shock to die down)

Yea, that’s right I said it. Procrastinator, that dirty, dirty word that most of us try to ignore. So, this procrastination label is not some new epiphany that I stumbled across last week. I’ve been toying with it for awhile, really trying to grasp the hidden message behind it and to locate the ‘fear”. Yes, I have watched Oprah once or twice in my life, I’m not ashamed. So, if you’re like me and find that you keep putting things off and are ready to make some changes, here are some tips that seem to work.

Step 1: I’ve identified the problem: procrastination! How do you deal with that?

Step 2: I bought a book, a shiny paperback with a great cover and cute illustrations. Surprise, surprise, it didn’t really help me, because it was reworked common sense and deep down I already knew what I had to do. Yet, it’s funny how I didn’t get right on that. So the book lay there for awhile collecting dust, silently mocking my procrastinating ass every time I glanced its way.

Step 3: Finally acknowledged that there were some issues about myself that I had to deal with. Why did I think that daydreaming on the future instead of doing something with the present was the better option?

Step 4: What was I really afraid of? In my case, it was failure. I can be a bit of a perfectionist in some cases, which if you knew me you’d be like I don’t believe you, liar, liar and checking to see if my pants were on fire.

I kid you not; I’m not the obvious, classic perfectionist because I’m internal with it all. Someone with a Martha Stewart complex may drive themselves crazy rearranging the same floral centerpiece whereas I’ll spend eons wrapped up in my own head imaging the outcome.

You see, if I didn’t think that I would be successful at it – I would take forever to do it, because I would trick myself into believing that the more I thought about it and corrected it mentally (before I attempted it) the better it would turn out.

Eventually, I realized that there is no such thing as failure and you can not, I repeat you can not be afraid of non-desired results because then you will not even try and that’s worse. Why? Well, because then you will never know what might have happened.
“Perfectionism is NOT a quest for the best. It is the pursuit of the worst in

ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough – that we should try again.”  – Julia Cameron

“A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault with it” -unknown

There are many different reasons why people procrastinate: fear of the unknown, fear of imperfection, fear of success, fear of change, fear of finishing, the list goes on and on. The most important to thing is to recognize why you are avoiding the task at hand. Once you understand that, it becomes easier to find ways to counteract it.

Step 5: How to successfully get it done. Well, while some people need to make a list, I prefer to have a set goal with a specific deadline in my mind that I can focus on. I also find that when you are enthusiastic about something that it makes it easier to get things done. Also, letting other people know about the deadline can be a perfect way to keep you motivated. Find what works best for you. At first, it may feel like you’re extracting your own wisdom teeth but the accomplished feeling is so much better.

So, okay you’ve identified both the problem and the cause, now what? Just keep working at it. It sounds so easy, yet it is something that you have to work at constantly. You’re not going to miraculously change overnight and you definitely shouldn’t beat yourself up if and/or when you backslide. Trust me, there’s no need for negative self-talk, it only makes you feel terrible and negates all the positive steps you have taken before the one that only (fingers-crossed) momentarily sets you back.

Another important reason as to why I’ve decided to confront my fears head on, is because I wasn’t just procrastinating about ideas, I was procrastinating about life. (cue sad, melodic music) Procrastination robs you of every precious moment that you have, every one. Time that you never get back. Once I realized that it really motivated me to step out of my head and into the now.

How do you deal with procrastination?

♥ the alchemist

Lamilla is a Swedish design house which tends to stick to a basic color palette: black and white. Designers Lamija Suljevic and Gambomilla Nielsen created the Lamilla brand which debuted in 2006.

Here are some images from their S/S 08 collection. Which is very artistically styled, which means I love it.

♥ the alchemist