Lux Lotus

Paper Doll: The Antwerp Six

Tonight I had a lovely evening full of laughter and spirited conversation with my old friend Andre. He works a few blocks away from my apartment, and he persuaded me to meet up with him for Belgian beers after six.

Afterwards we had dinner at my place and discussed our style philosophies for fall. He is going for a smart, contemporary look that sounds a little like the French street look espoused by the main character in The Beat That My Heart Skipped.

I haven't decided what I am focusing on yet, although it definitely feels like summer is over and autumn is on its way to being breezily ushered into view.  I am looking forward to turning leaves and crisp apples, but I am not sure what that means for my wardrobe. To help sharpen my gaze, I am inaugurating a new series called "Paper Doll," where I mix and match looks from my favorite so-last-season clearinghouse, Yoox.

Today's ensemble is inspired by what else... Belgian beer, and my love for all things originating in Flanders. Antwerp, where I spent an enchanting few days this spring, burst onto the world fashion scene in the '80s with the arrival of the Antwerp Six - homegrown designers Walter Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs and Marina Yee (Martin Margiela is considered the unofficial seventh member of the group).

With a flair for cerebral, flawlessly constructed garments and a penchant for artful minimalism, the arrival of the Antwerp Six created a bang in the fashion world that still reverberates today.

Here is my first ideal fall outfit from Yoox, inspired by those exquisite visionaries:

Dress: Martin Margiela 6.

Coat: Dries Van Noten.

Boots: Dirk Bikkembergs.

Related from the Lux Lotus Archives:
Postcard From Antwerp
The LC Report: Letter from Antwerp, Part I
The LC Report: Letter From Antwerp, Part II
Photo Album: The Low Countries (Spring 2005)

Where Mockingbirds Used To Sing

My mother was born in New Orleans and raised in Slidell (she now lives in Maryland) and four of her five siblings and other family members live in Mississippi. I lived in New Orleans for a year in the mid-90s when I attended Loyola, and returned annually for the next few years.

It's difficult to articulate how saddened I am about the devastation of such an extraordinary place (not to mention how much I miss getting my hair cut at Arthur's House of Glamour, just for starters), so I'll just say:

Please consider donating to the Red Cross if you haven't already.

Counting Flowers on the Wall

This evening I enjoyed the pleasure of artist Maria Scavullo's company after she delivered a painting of hers that I recently acquired for my new apartment. We had dinner and drank wine (with a soundtrack of Nouvelle Vague, of course) and indulged in flourless chocolate cake and red bloom tea for dessert while chatting about artistic versus commercial ideals and collaborative projects as well as the joys of working solo.

I absolutely adore my new painting (seen above), and it was love at first sight when I first encountered it on a visit to her studio. Maria's portraits of coolly stylized women have a sort of Hitchcock-esque flair that I find darkly compelling. In addition to painting, she is a professional illustrator who is always interested in new commissions (she did the illo for LaurenCerand.com). If you're interested in learning more about her work, you can contact her by email (and consider her highly recommended).

The Smart Set: 8.29 - 9.4 (BYOB Edition)

In this week's edition: beautification, amphetamines, art stars, elegies, and more. And of note elsewhere, some rather spot-on satire:

MONDAY, 8.15: Jay McInerney will be at Odeon to read from his seminal breakthrough, “Bright Lights, Big City.” No word on whether Michael J. Fox will be attending. 7:00PM Odeon Restaurant, TriBeca. Free. (Bring your own blow.)

It's odd to read a Smart Set parody, but I have to admit it's well done.

[image source]

Lotus Links: Art

Made Magazine No 20 by Christopher Alan [Beinghunted]
An Interview with Kabo [Evil Monito]
Found Song of the Month! Devon Sproule [Found]
Daniel Sedaris & Daniel "Lemony Snicket" Handler [Ruminator]
New World Order: an excerpt from Can't Stop, Won't Stop [Alternet]
Supernova: Marloes ten Bhomer [Hint]

Pretty Prescient for Print, Huh?

I generally don't look to print publications for revelations on how we consume information today, but I was intrigued by the article that the New York Times ran today about MySpace, especially the last quote from one of the company's founders:

[Tom Anderson] said that as he meets with bands to sign up for the new label, he keeps hearing the same question: "How are you going to get me on MTV?"

"They don't quite get it, and I'm only starting to get it myself," Mr. Anderson said. "We've got our 26 million, with a lot more people logging in each day."

He added, with a shrug, "It's kind of like, who cares about MTV anymore?"

Why is such a brilliant example of the way that the media landscape is being transformed tacked on in the last graf of the article?

Not only does the Times usually report on trends years after they've made a cultural impact, but, as is the case with this piece, the reporter misses the actual "news" entirely and adds it in almost as a footnote.

I originally saw that article in my rss reader, because I subscribe to some of the feeds that the Times distributes, and then logged on to NYTimes.com today because I noticed on fashion personality Diane Pernet's blog that she was featured in the Times' "T" Style Magazine.

The current issue of T is pretty good, although I am already feeling fatigued by the all-black trend for Fall that people have been so breathless about for the last six months. At least the reporting is relatively timely and the editing seems culturally on-point.

Stefano Tonchi has set a new standard for what the paper's style coverage should encompass, chronicling both straightforward trends in fashion as well as "forces that are mingling and mixing with contemporary culture."

The Tilda Swinton cover is sublime and perfectly of-the-moment, although it just reminded me what a  depressing, irrelevant mess the paper's Book Review would be by comparison.

And, of course, it was: the tagline on the main page is "Books: The Post-Ironic Novel." God, how pathetic.

How long do we have to wait for the post-ironic book review?

Now, With Even More Titillating Work Details!

I'm delighted to announce the debut of the so lo-fi LaurenCerand.com. Like Erykah Badu, I'm an analog girl in a digital world. Nah, just busy.

Endless Summer

If I were a guy, I would totally wear these [via keithboykin].

What I am desperately longing for right now - this moment - is the Alexander McQueen sunglasses that I saw earlier today. The frames are acetate with encapsulated lace. Swoon.

Perfect for five more minutes: Vivre's seashell minaudiere.

Underhyped Cities: Lyon

I just came across a marvelous article about a new bike rental enterprise in Lyon, and a link to the service itself [via kottke]. I spent a few days in Lyon while I was in France for a couple of weeks last fall, and it is a lovely, cosmopolitan city with a fabulously rich sense of its own history and tons of culture, fashion and design. From the textile industry's remnants (traceable through inner courtyard pathways called traboules) to the Ancient Greek stadium high on a hilltop and local bouchons full of culinary delights that easily rival its glittery counterpart to the North, Lyon is a tres chic destination -- not to mention the birthplace of cinema. It's also only two hours South of Paris via the TGV high-speed train. I look forward to seeing the city again by shiny red bicycle on my next visit!

Hot Copy: Peeps Invade New York!

Peeps is my friend Scott's new book, out today! He is married to the aussi ultrafab Justine Larbalestier. They are the best because they are both lots and lots of fun to hang out with, and also, when they came over to my new place, they brought good champagne and advance copies of their latest novels. Boing Boing's Cory Doctorow describes Peeps as, "seriously inventive science fiction, written in an engaging style." I am going to start reading Peeps tonight. It seems refreshingly different in a most appealing way, and its "important features" including "natural selection, sexual attraction, parasitic infection, and Elvis memorabilia," have me quite intrigued! Do take a peek...